Code Geass: Of Nights and Dragons
by Hasuki-chan
Summary: AU. Suzaku Kururugi goes to free the fabled blind princess, from a castle guarded by a fearsome Dragon. However, their fight is interrupted and fate twists, leading to new a set of events(unlike the conventional fairy tale) where the Knight will go on a rescue mission with an entirely different character, and find love in a whole new different place. SuzuLulu. Chapter 14 COMPLETE!
1. A Brewing Storm

**Code Geass: Of Nights and Dragons**

**Characters:** Suzaku Kururugi and Lelouch Lamperouge

**Genre**: Adventure/ Humor/ Romance

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of its related characters.

**ENJOY!**

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Chapter 1: A Brewing Storm

Storm clouds raged overhead as a young, brown-haired man stared across an old rope bridge which crossed a gorge filled with fire.

This 'steady'-looking Rope Bridge was the only thing that connected him to the huge, dark, and daunting castle which loomed over from the other side.

'Ugh. Why was I here again?' the man asked himself out loud. He then proceeded to sieve through his memories of the last six months to find his answer.

_His name is Suzaku Kururugi, and he left his village after it had been destroyed by a still-as-of-yet-unknown entity. _

_He became a wandering traveller, passing through numerous villages. During his travels, he was often recruited by villagers to help fight the green, slimy, foul-smelling monsters who lived in the forests, and to help defeat the greasy-haired bandits who threatened the peace of the villages. By doing this, he became well-known as the 'White Knight'._

_As he went along, he heard rumours and stories of the fairest, kindest and most beautiful princess who had been locked away in a tower of the malicious castle in the most south-eastern part of the country. There, she is guarded by a ferocious, man-eating (not really) Dragon, day in and day out. If one wishes to gain the hand of the princess, one has to get past the Dragon of darkness first. _

_Suzaku immediately became interested in the princess and almost fell in love with her from just her many wonderful descriptions. Idiotically brave as he was, Suzaku decided that he'd go to this castle, slay the Dragon, free the princess, and ask her for her hand in marriage. _

_And here he was, standing in front of the infamous castle. Even though, many have tried and failed…_

"So that's why I'm here, _'__even though many have tired and failed_, huh?" Suzaku repeated, concluding his re-take of the past. "Well, it's too late to turn back now" he said, clutching the scarab at his side.

* * *

A while later, Suzaku found himself at the other side of the fiery pit of doom, clutching his shirt and panting, holding on for dear life. He never knew that running across a bridge as it gave away underneath your feet could be such a scary experience.

_'Seriously, how the hell did the others make it across? Or am I simply the unlucky one?'_ Suzaku wondered, before making his way over to the huge dark walnut-wood double door of the castle.

Suzaku almost picked up the rusty ring attached to the door and used it to knock, but then decided against it, cause when would a 50-foot tall Dragon ever answer a door, right?

The White Knight thought that it might be locked, but when he tried to open it, it opened slowly on its own, surprising him. Ominous lightning flashed at that moment, and thunder boomed across the sky, almost as if saying 'do not enter'.

However, Suzaku wasn't going to turn tail and run, he'd come too far.

"Pardon the intrusion" he sang softly, berating himself for it afterwards.

"Wow" Suzaku breathed as he stepped through the rustic parlour and into the main hall. It was completely dark; the only light coming in was the light from the occasional flash of lightning. The walls stretched up for 60 feet, ending in a dome-like roof above.

"Jip, definitely a fifty foot tall Dragon" Suzaku re-affirmed, heading towards the staircase at the other side of the hall, which he presumed to lead up to the tower.

"Who dares to enter my castle?" A deep baritone voice boomed through the hall, echoing off the walls and resonating within Suzaku's head. The voice sounded angry, but Suzaku detected an undertone of anguish he couldn't ignore.

"It is I, the White Knight Suzaku Kururugi." Suzaku answered, stepping forward. He looked around him in search of the voice. Unbeknownst to the White Knight, a large figure cloaked in shadows appeared.

"What is it that you seek?" the voice asked from behind Suzaku.

Suzaku spun on his heel and faced the deity of darkness which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Suzaku didn't know if he should freak out because it was the Dragon that actually spoke to him, or laugh because of its utterly pretentious speech. However in fear of offending the great beast, Suzaku chose neither. He had to get on the Dragon's good side if he wanted to get the girl, after all. So for his love's sake, Suzaku continued the charade.

"Your Excellency, I am but a humble knight who has come in search of the beloved princess's hand in marriage" Suzaku answered with his right hand over his chest as he kneeled in front of the Dragon. He could do at least this much for his bride-in-waiting.

"Insolence!" the Dragon roared and it felt as if the temperature had dropped to below 0 degrees. The Dragon was mighty unpleased with Suzaku. "Are you aware of what you are asking for? Many before you have come with the same purpose, but all have failed. What is it that makes you unlike the rest?"

_'Ugh'_ Suzaku thought as he dropped his gaze to the floor

_'That didn't go over very well. I even called him 'your Excellency'. Usually buttering some one up like that is step one in getting what you want'_ Suzaku's shoulders slouched a bit.

_'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here, after all, but honestly Suzaku, when have you ever had a good idea?" _Suzaku sighed.

_'Well I didn't really expect him to hand her over on a silver plate, did I? Well I probably did, but now we know he's not going to. There's no turning back now!" _Suzaku thought resolutely as he looked up.

Suzaku's breath caught in his throat as he met with the most beautiful purple eyes he had ever seen. And what's worse is that those eyes belonged to the Dragon.

"W-Well t-the-" Suzaku cleared his throat before starting again "Well then I challenge you to a duel! Whoever wins shall have the princess!" Suzaku stood and drew his sword, sweeping it in a wide arc before ending with the edge of the sword pointed towards the Dragon's throat.

* * *

The Dragon's eyes narrowed. Normally any trespasser would have been dead already. He just thought that he would try and be theatrical for a change and see a human's reaction to him actually being able to speak.

_'Does this puny human truly think that the can defeat me and get my sister?'_ the Dragon felt insulted. Never has an insect underestimated him like that. He would not stand for it; no one was allowed to insult his ability to protect his dearest sister.

"Very well, I will teach you a lesson in what happens to those who underestimate me, and when you lose it will be your life" the Dragon decided to humour him.

"_If_ I lose; I don't plan on dying today" Suzaku declared as he bent his legs and jumped up, spinning as he closed in on the Dragon's face.

He took his sword and attempted to slice open the Dragon's throat, but the Dragon saw him coming and his claws clashed with Suzaku's sword before it could reach his face. The Dragon thrust his arm outwards, sending Suzaku flying back.

Following this, the Dragon brought his claws forward again, dragging shadows along as he did. Suzaku's back hit against the wall. If he didn't think fast, the Dragon would have his head. Suzaku used the wall behind him as a buffer and launched himself away from it, just as the Dragon's claws hit the wall. Suzaku hit the ground and rolled onto his knees, with one leg stretched out. He frantically looked around and saw his sword lying a few feet away from him.

The Dragon opened his mouth wide as shadows swirled within it. Moving his head back once and thrusting it forward, the Dragon sent the dark magic blast to crash down on Suzaku. Suzaku reached his sword in time and deflected the blast with his sword, but the force was too strong so he was sent flying backwards.

Suzaku didn't stay down long though, as he quickly dodged the Dragon's tail whip and jumped up, aiming to slit the Dragon's throat again. Once again the Dragon blocked Suzaku's swords with his claws. Suzaku recoiled before attempting to strike again, only to be stopped in mid-air. He kept going on the offensive, but could never get past the Dragon's claws. The two continued trading blows, neither side giving way. They were immersed in the battle, only focusing on their opponent, only seeing each other.

Lelouch thought that as soon as the intruder was defeated, he and Nunnally would continue living their (relatively) peaceful lives. Suzaku, on the other hand, couldn't wait to defeat the Dragon so that he and the princess could happily marry.

However, fate had other plans for them, as a high-pitched screamed pierced both Lelouch's and Suzaku's skulls. A scream that the Dragon recognized all too well and a scream which Suzaku would come to know soon as well…

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! If you like it, please move on to the next chapter! Please review and tell me your thoughts, feelings, and stuff you want to happen next! ^^

Thanks to my beta, **Icy-Kitty117!**


	2. Between the Raging Clouds

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of it's related character.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Between the Raging Clouds.

The dragon immediately reacted to the scream and completely dropped his guard. Suzaku saw that as the perfect opportunity to claim victory, but he then realized how frail-sounding the scream actually was.

_'Could it be the princess?' _Suzaku wondered, doing a double take on the dragon _'It must have been, if the dragon's reaction was anything to go by'_ It was a combination between anger, fear, surprise and panic.

The dragon let out a loud grunt which Suzaku almost translated as a curse in dragon-language. The dragon was looking upwards and Suzaku followed his gaze, just in time to see another large figure flying by outside. All Suzaku could focus on though, was the beautiful, pale, long-haired girl the creature carried in its arms. What Suzaku noticed though was that the girl's eyes were closed.

A great gust of wind almost knocked Suzaku of his feet as the dragon he was fighting seconds earlier flapped his wings once and launched into the sky.

"Oi! Wait, what about our fight?!" Suzaku called after his retreating enemy.

"It won't mean anything if there's no prize, am I wrong?" the dragon called irritably after the young knight, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's true but...oi, hold up!" Suzaku called after the dragon, who was heading straight towards the small-looking window.

"That window's too small; you're going to get stuck!" When the dragon didn't listen, Suzaku ran up the wall and launched himself of off it, just in time to grab the dragon's tail.

The dragon dipped slightly, but regained his pace with a flap of his wings.

"Hey wait, we're going to…!" Suzaku started, but as he said it, the dragon merely tucked his wings in and smoothly passed through the window with the precision of an arrow.

They flew straight into an angry storm outside. Lightning flashed all around them, the roars of thunder competed with the howls of the wind. Rain bombarded their skins, but still the dragon kept going.

"Hey, don't be crazy, this storm is too dangerous, let's go back!" Suzaku called out to the dragon as his hair flapped around his face, his wet clothes tight around his skin. The dragon ignored him, so he resorted to merely punching the scales, trying to get the large beast's attention.

"Who told you that you could come along?" the dragon asked Suzaku, baring his teeth at the flailing human. He finally broke his pattern of pretentious speech but still held his aura of superiority.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to turn your back on your enemies? See, this is what happens!" Suzaku snapped back

"You mean you become a leech?" the dragon retorted, clearly not amused.

Suzaku wanted to say something in return, but saw that the dragon merely flared his nostrils before returning his focus to the one who has captured his dear sister.

Suzaku followed the dragon's gaze and saw that it was locked onto the dark figure in the distance who was getting further and further away. They were getting further and further away with each flap of the dragon's wings.

* * *

As the dragon stared intensely at the one he was pursuing, his head began to throb. The sudden jab of pain which shot through his body caused the dragon to take a slight dip. His eyes involuntarily closed to the pain. He slowly tried to open his eyes, but the strain caused him to immediately close it again.

"No, wait" he breathed "don't go. I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you. I won't lose you, NUNNALLY!' the dragon wanted to shout, but his voice seemed to have left him. It came out as a hoarse whisper. He opened his eyes one last time, glaring at the figure in the distance getting smaller and smaller until it was a mere dot.

* * *

"Nunnally" the dragon whispered, catching Suzaku's attention. He noticed that the ground was closing in on them, or were they closing in on the ground? Worried about what it was, Suzaku climbed his way up the dragon's tail by holding onto the scales.

When Suzaku reached the top, he saw that the dragon's eyes were shut. Whether it was because the dragon was in excruciating pain or if it was because he had fainted due to the fatigue of having been out in the terrible storm, Suzaku didn't know.

"Hey, wake up!" Suzaku had to wake the dragon up if he wanted to live. "We're falling!" he persisted. When the dragon still didn't respond, Suzaku decided that it was the latter of his suspicions.

Suzaku stood up with the idea the idea that he would quickly run to the dragon's head, but it turned into an ungracious staggering forwards. Just before Suzaku was about to fall off, he latched onto the dragon's neck, appropriating the earlier phrase of him being called 'a leech'.

Suzaku saw the dark forest coming closer and closer. He closed his eyes as the sudden realisation that they would hit the ground at full speed in a matter of seconds, hit him.

_'Mom, Dad, Arthur, and Auntie Delicious Choc-chip Cookies, thank you for everything'_ Suzaku prayed silently, waiting for the clips of his entire life to begin rolling in front of him like a film. The clips never came, and instead he felt something shining brightly on the other side of his eyelids.

_'Was it the gates of heaven?'_ Suzaku wondered, opening his eyes and expecting to see two huge golden gates, but instead the one he was latching onto was engulfed in a purple light and...gradually shrinking?

Suzaku looked back to the forest, which was a very bad idea. He involuntarily tightened his hold on the Dragon's neck, just as they hit the trees. They tumbled through leaves; hit their heads against branches, and sticks poked places it was never supposed to poke.

Just as Suzaku prepared himself mentally to hit the ground at 50 km/h, they came to a drastic halt. Suzaku opened his eyes once again and saw that they were levitating a foot above the ground, and felt an arm holding him around his waist. It was a human's arm. No, more than that, it was a man's arm.

_'Wasn't I holding onto a dragon here a few moments ago?'_ Suzaku wondered.

He looked up at the one who held him so tightly. Two large wings spread out from the man's back, making him look more like an angel of darkness than a demon. Slowly, from the top edges, the wings started to diminish into small glowing lights. Bit by bit, it moved closer to where the wings sprouted from the man's shoulder blades. Once the wings completely disappeared, Suzaku felt himself falling, hitting the ground head first.

The small lights floated around the two, illuminating the forest in a purple hue. They all faded into nothingness; one by one, until both men were shrouded in complete darkness.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading up till here, I really appreciate it! Keep going - From chapter 4 the chapters are all a lot longer! Also, sorry for any grammatical errors. Please review and tell me your thoughts, feelings or ideas for further developments and twists you would like to see! Thank you in advance, Hasuki-chan


	3. Within the Dark Forest

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of its related characters.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Within the Dark Forest

_'Huh...it's soft?'_ Suzaku thought, mind hazy from the fall. He expected the ground to be much harder. Something was tickling Suzaku's nose, and it was starting to itch. He moved his hand to his nose, expecting to flick off an insect, but instead he felt…hair? And it was so silky and smooth.

He opened his eyes, not knowing what to expect. And he was right not to expect anything, because he would never have expected that the hair would actually belong to another person.

'Oi, are you okay?_' _Suzaku asked, probing the person's shoulder.

"Gt-ff" it was a man's voice.

"Sorry?" Suzaku asked softly, leaning in closer. The man turned his head slightly.

"I said get off, you're heavy!" he said, in a gruff and angry tone.

Confused, it was then that Suzaku realised that he was actually lying on top of the other man.

"Oh man I'm sorry!" Suzaku said, immediately sitting up and climbing off of the man's back. He sat on his knees next to the man.

The man slowly came up and sat on his own knees, leaning his head against his one hand. It seemed as if the man had a massive migraine, or he was just dizzy.

"Hey are you ok?" Suzaku asked trying to take the man's hand, but in a swift motion the man swatted Suzaku's hand away.

For the first time, the man looked at Suzaku, hair falling into place next to his face. The man glared at Suzaku, but even if it was scary, Suzaku couldn't look away from those beautiful purple eyes.

"This is your entire fault!" the man snapped at Suzaku, the sound of the voice surprising Suzaku more than the fact that the man was blaming him for something. It was so smooth and clear and

"Wait, what?" Suzaku asked, confused.

"If you hadn't started that ridiculous fight which took all my concentration and energy, I would've sensed the intruder who took Nunnally, and I could have saved her! But because of you Nunnally's…she's…" the young man trembled slightly.

"Oh…that…" Suzaku gave a nervous laugh; he didn't know what to say. _'He's kind of right, but…he talks as if he was the one fighting, but then that means…'_ Suzaku did a double take on the man's eyes. _'It's the same shade of purple as the Dragon's!'_ Suzaku realized, flabbergasted.

"Could it be that you're...?" Suzaku wanted to ask, but was once again interrupted.

"Everything must have been according your plan, right? You come in and distract me while your comrades capture my sister? For what? Power? Money?"

"What? No!" Suzaku said, raising his voice. "I only came here because I wanted to marry the princess, I had nothing to do with that thing that stole her, I promise!"

The man only stood in response and started to walk away from Suzaku. With no light from the moon that night, the forest was dark, and Suzaku could only see the outline of the man's body.

"You're going to go and save her, right? Let me help you!" Suzaku insisted.

"What?!" the man said, spinning around and facing Suzaku "You think I'd team up with the one who caused me to lose my sister in the first place?"

It was then that Suzaku realized that the man had no clothes on (considering that he was still a dragon minutes ago) and that he was standing in all his glory in his birthday suit in front of Suzaku. Suzaku blushed furiously and looked away from the man in front of him.

"What?" the purple-eyed man asked.

"Noit'snothing Ididn'tseeanything I swear Ididn'tlook!" Suzaku blurted out all in one long incomprehensible sentence.

"What, I can't understand you, speak properly!" the man ordered.

Suzaku gulped and peeked at the man before looking away again.

"You…you're n-n-n-naked" Suzaku stuttered softly, blushing more.

"Ha?" he asked, before looking at himself, realizing for the first time that he was not a dragon anymore and, in fact, naked.

Lelouch blushed slightly before turning away, a slight blush creeping up his face as well.

"I-It's nothing you haven't ever seen before" the rather thin man said, ever so coy.

_'What an adorable reaction!' _Suzaku thought with sparkly eyes. He took that as his cue to be a man. Suzaku stood up and walked up to the man, offering him his coat.

The man merely glanced at the coat before looking away with an 'Hmpf!' arms crossed.

"Oh come on, just take it, you'll be cold otherwise." Suzaku tried to reason, but the man's attention was already somewhere else.

He seemed to be looking at something in front of him, but there was nothing.

_'Or maybe it's just that I can't see it?'_ Suzaku wondered, looking between the man and where the man was looking.

* * *

"How do you know who I am? And who are you?" the young man asked, eyes narrowing at the woman levitating in front of him. She had long green hair and was bathed in a fluorescent light.

"I am C.C, a servant to your sister, my liege" the one revealed to be C.C. answered plainly, slightly bowing before the young man.

"Nunnally? What do you know about my sister? Can you tell me who captured her?!" he inquired frantically.

"Indeed, I have come to inform you that it was the royal dragon clan zi Brittania who, by using your fight with the mortal as a cover, captured your sister."

"Then this idiot helped them after all?!" the man asked, angrily pointing at Suzaku.

"What?" Suzaku asked, confused.

"No, my liege. This young man was ignorant of zi Brittania's plot. In fact, you will need this mortal's help to get to the dragon clan's capital if you wish to save your sister" C.C. said, showing towards Suzaku, who was still frantically trying to see what the other young man was seeing.

"What? I refuse to let that good-for-nothing help me, he has been nothing but the source of my woes!" the young man argued.

"Oi, would you stop talking about me like I'm not here?!" Suzaku said, getting slightly irritated.

"That will not do my liege. With your sister, the source of your power, so far out of range, refusing that man's help is not a luxury you can afford. As you are now, without your dragon powers, you are too weak to save your sister on your own. You need this young man's help."

C.C. left no further ground for argument, and the young man glared at Suzaku in response.

"I must return to your sister now, it's only a matter of time before they find me as well." C.C. gave a bow and started to leave, before turning back one last time. "By the way, I think this will help" C.C. said, and she conjured up some medieval garments for him to wear.

The dark-haired man looked up at the mysterious woman in surprise, who only winked at him, and spared one final glance at Suzaku, before disappearing.

"Is she a witch?" the young man wondered.

Suzaku was still looking around to see anything which looked out of place, but in the midst of the forest they were in, it was only the occasional blinking of yellow-coloured eyes and moving shadows that caught his attention.

"Oi…" Suzaku wanted to address the young man, but saw that he had disappeared.

"Oi, where are you?" Suzaku called, frustrated that he didn't have name to go by. He noticed that whoever Purple Eyes were speaking to, he (or she) knew his name, something Suzaku himself did not even know. He decided that the first thing he was going to do when he found Purple Eyes was ask him for his name.

"Where are you?" Suzaku called again.

"Oh be quiet, you're making a ruckus" the young man said, appearing behind Suzaku. Suzaku jumped in surprise.

"You have to stop randomly appearing behind people like that!" Suzaku turned and reprimanded the young man, slightly disappointed when he saw that he now had some travel gear on.

The young man looked at his fated companion, and the cloak he was still offering to him. He sighed once and took it from Suzaku's hands. Taking the action as a sign that the young man had accepted his help, Suzaku became very happy.

"Hey…" Suzaku called out, and the young man looked at him over his shoulder. "I know we got off to a bit of a bad start, but as you are right now, you are not my enemy. So, since we're going to be travelling companions from now on, don't you think we should start with a clean slate and introduce ourselves again?" He reasoned, laughing sheepishly.

"It can't be helped. I am Lelouch, Lelouch Lamperouge" the young man said, draping the cloak over his shoulders as it fluttered in the night wind, almost dancing to the sound of the young man's name. "And what makes you think we're travelling together now?"

The question brought the mesmerized Suzaku back to his senses.

"Well, it's because you accepted my offer for the cloak, so I assumed you've forgiven me" Suzaku laughed. "Oh and just so it's fair, I'll introduce myself again. I am Suzaku Kururugi"

It was only for a split second, but Suzaku didn't miss the faint smile which flashed across the man, now known as Lelouch's, face.

"We leave at dawn." Lelouch said, before he and Suzaku walked off into the shadows beyond the trees.

* * *

**A/N:** The last of the short chapters. Thank you for reading and for all those who have shared their thoughts with me, please continue to do so in your reviews! If there's any mistakes left it's probably because I missed it or really don't know how to fix it, so if you see any, please help me! Reviews makes me happy!


	4. Beyond the Glimmering Trees

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of its related characters.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Beyond the Glimmering Trees

Lelouch and Suzaku walked slowly through the forest. They heard the night sounds all around them; of the crickets calling each other to action and the occasional solemn hoot of an owl. The forest was so dense that no light could penetrate it from anywhere. An occasional rustling in the bushes kept the two on hot legs.

Suzaku was much more paranoid than the calm Lelouch, and involuntarily walked closer to him. Lelouch noticed this, much to Lelouch's annoyance.

"Why are you walking so close to me?" Lelouch questioned the vigilant knight.

"It-it's because you asked me to protect you, and in this dark forest, the-the only way to do that is to stay close to you" Suzaku replied with false bravado.

"Let's get two things straight immediately" Lelouch said with a sigh and stopped, turning to face Suzaku, purple locking on green eyes. "One, I didn't ask you for help, you offered and I merely accepted. And two, the size of my personal bubble is at least THIS big!" Lelouch said, dramatically sweeping his arm across his body, the motion sending Suzaku two feet back. "Remember that" He said and walked on.

Suzaku was a bit baffled by Lelouch's sudden action. It took him 5 seconds to register that Lelouch was already three trees away.

"Wait!" Suzaku said, running to catch up to Lelouch. He got a little too close and when Lelouch sent him another glare, Suzaku immediately slowed his pace so that Lelouch was a couple of feet in front of him. "I understand" Suzaku said.

After they continued to walk in silence for a while, Suzaku began to feel cold. He decided to break the ice before it froze both of them.

"So, do you have a destination in mind?" Suzaku asked.

"I rarely do anything without having a plan in mind" _'You're the exception'_ Lelouch almost added out loud.

"Okay, so where are we going?"

"To see the one who will help us greatly on our journey. She is known as the Enchantress of the Forest"

"Oh that's right, I've heard rumors about her. 'Milly' is her name, right? She supposedly loves to throw parties and entertain the animals of this forest here!" Suzaku said, getting excited.

"Correct. She lives in the hollowed-out 'Crystal' tree in the middle of the forest and is the keeper of the Crane Chariots" Lelouch pointed out.

"Crane Chariots? You mean those birds of legend?"

"They're not a legend, they're real, and their involvement in our plan will be very real as well"

"Wow" Suzaku responded. Not wanting their flicker of communication to burn out, Suzaku asked one more question. "So about this plan of yours…care to fill me in?"

"Yes, I do care. It's not important for you to know now, you will find out as we go along"

'_Oh well, I had to get that question out in the open, anyway. If I don't start talking to this guy, I feel like I'll never earn his trust. But I need it if I want to stick it out until the end, where I'll finally claim my prize of marriage to the beautiful princess!_' Suzaku thought gleefully to himself.

"Oi, get that goofy grin of your face." The heavy smooth voice of Lelouch interrupted Suzaku's day (night?) dreaming.

Suzaku opened his eyes and for a moment he was awe-struck.

"We're here" Lelouch announced.

Suzaku saw the largest tree he had ever seen standing in all its magnificence in front of him. The bare branches stretched far out, almost as if it wanted to reach everyone and everything, even the sky. With no leaves to block their view, the wide band of winking stars arching across the dark sky mesmerized Lelouch and Suzaku.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a feminine voice asked good-naturedly.

* * *

Lelouch and Suzaku both looked at where the voice had come from. They saw a beautiful woman walking out of the tree. She was very elegant, every stride equally paced. She had shoulder length blond hair and sky blue eyes, supposedly the kind of sky blue you would see the day when there was no clouds. Her cheery smile was like the sun in such a blue sky. Brilliantly bright.

However, there was something clouding the beautiful woman's face. It had a shade of loneliness. Suzaku noticed, that for once, the ever-enchanting Enchantress was all alone.

"How may I help you two gentlemen?" she asked with a smile. Suzaku looked at Lelouch. He doubted Lelouch would care if the Enchantress was alone or not, so it was up to him to ask her.

"Hey, Lelouch" Suzaku whispered to his companion "I couldn't help but noticed that she's all alone…shouldn't we ask where the others are?"

"We have more important things to focus on" Lelouch replied immediately, not really interested in her personal strife. "You're the Enchantress of the Forest, am I right?"

"In the flesh" she said smiling. "My name is Milly, but people refer to me simply as the Enchantress. Never got around to the reason for why that is, though"

"I see. Then, Enchantress Milly, would you be so kind as to lend us one of your fabled Crane Chariots, which can fly through any storm" Lelouch said, bowing his head slightly. He didn't care how much he needed to humble himself when it came to Nunnally.

"My Crane Chariot? Well I could, but as you've probably noticed, I'm all alone here, and I do not like it one bit. Now that two rare guests had come along, why would I let them go so quickly?"

"Well what happened to the other animals; your companions?" Suzaku asked, despite Lelouch's brushing off of the issue earlier on.

"AH! Thank you very much for asking!" Milly said excitedly. "Please, come in and have some of the finest tea you will ever taste!" she said and showed towards the tree 'house'; the hollowed-out space within the tree's huge trunk.

Lelouch wanted to argue that it would be a waste of time, and that she should just hand over the chariot, but Suzaku smoothly convinced him to at least hear the Enchantress out.

They went to sit at the table, and Milly brought a tray with tea cups, a teapot and some cookies.

"Please, help yourself to as much of the treats as you want"

"Then, don't mind if I do! _Itadakimasu!_" Suzaku said and dived in.

Lelouch observed Suzaku's bad table manners and made a mental note to reprimand him for it later. He blew his tea before looking back at Milly.

"So, what happened?"

Milly sighed before going to sit on a chair. She held the empty tray on her lap.

"Well, ever since ambitious Red Dragons stole the Guren Gem, the forest had lost all its 'shine'. A the forest creatures are too afraid to come out because they are afraid about what will happen when the Red Dragon gets its claws on them. It greatly troubles me"

Milly looked from Lelouch to Suzaku and back to Lelouch. She had a feeling that they knew what was coming next.

"I'll make you two strong-looking men a deal. If you can retrieve the Guren Gem from the Red Dragon, I will lend you my best Crane Chariot" Milly offered.

Suzaku and Lelouch's ears perked at this. Both retreated a bit to discuss it.

"Hey Lelouch, this 'Red Dragon' isn't by any chance related to the dragon who stole your sister, is it?" Suzaku asked softly.

"I doubt it" Lelouch answered "I don't know of any 'Red Dragon' in that clan"

"So we won't hear anything from the dragon about the one who captured Nunnally? It would be better if we decline the offer and focus more of our time on finding her, right?"

"Unfortunately, we can't do that. We still need the Crane Chariot to make it through the storm and reach a place which will be able to give us more information on my sister's whereabouts, though I already have a vaguely good idea of where they took her"

"Then, we're accepting the offer?!" Suzaku asked excitedly. He loves helping other people, it's like a second nature to him, and so to not help others was akin to death for him. At least, that was what Lelouch's impression was.

"Yes" Lelouch said reluctantly, and then towards the Enchantress Milly. "We accept your offer" he declared. Though trivial, this mission was nothing but the means to an end to save his sister.

"Wonderful!" Milly said. "I'll draw you a map right away..!"

* * *

"This is the fifth time we've passed that tree with the odd-looking stones in front of it" Suzaku said to Lelouch, whose face was completely obscured by the map he was holding,

"How can you be so sure?" Lelouch asked.

"Because that same tree has had 5 owls sitting on the same branch every time we've passed it" Suzaku pointed out.

Lelouch looked up and saw that 5 owls indeed sat on a branch. Lelouch looked back at the map, and turned it around for the umpteenth time.

"Geez, I've had enough!" Suzaku said, slightly worn out. "The badly drawn map by Milly just isn't helping, and you know it!"

Lelouch didn't argue, but he still took one last glance at the map. Milly drew stick trees and stick paths in multi-colored crayons. It was hard differentiating them. Also there were spikes for mountains and circles for…rocks?

'_Why would something like 'rocks' be added to a map anyway?'_ Lelouch wondered.

"Don't bother with the map and follow me! With my experience, I'll be able to get us there in no time!" Suzaku said confidently. He has travelled far and wide before his meeting with Lelouch, and Suzaku believes that it has made him 'world-wise'. A little forest would be nothing to him, right?

Wrong. Lelouch accepted it because they didn't have a better plan, but even following Milly's map was a better idea than letting Suzaku take the lead. They were more lost than they were at the beginning and almost fell off a cliff once. At the foot of the mountain there was a cave, and there they were; almost at the summit.

"AH this forest is so strange and confusing! How the hell did we get up the mountain in the first place?!" Suzaku asked frustrated.

"I don't know. It must have been your 'natural instinct'" Lelouch mocked, but looked away in time to miss the glare Suzaku sent towards him. "But you're right" Lelouch began, holding his chin with his two fingers, still looking at the map "This forest is strange. It's as if it's constantly changing form to confuse and trap us"

"What? Does this forest have some sort of secret agenda with us?!" Suzaku asked

"It's probably a spell used to protect the forests' secrets"

"Eh? So we won't be able to find the cave?" Suzaku asked, distressed.

"If we were outsiders, yes. But thanks to this map, we're not"

"You can understand that map?"

"Who do you think I am?" Lelouch answered Suzaku's question with a question. "No one can keep any secrets from me"

Lelouch said confidently as he started walking. The drawings of the trees were so bad that it couldn't really be distinguished from the paths, which means it was probably the paths and trees that were constantly mixed up. The rocks however seemed to stay in constant positions. That means that one needed to follow the illustrations of the rocks, and that the spikes that looked like a mountain was most likely the cave. So, judging from their current position, they weren't that far from the cave.

After a few minutes of walking, they miraculously reached the cave. Lelouch amazed Suzaku because the former dragon actually figured the map out, but that didn't mean that Suzaku didn't have skills of his own! He had already resolved to prove himself invaluable to the high and mighty hybrid-dragon.

"Wait here" Lelouch said quietly, and peaked around the corner into the cave. "It looks like the dragon is sleeping"

"Really?" Suzaku asked, his head poking out underneath Lelouch's head. "Oh, could that be it?" he asked excitedly, referring to the large crystal the dragon cradled in its arms as it slept. "It's huge!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Quiet, idiot!" Lelouch scolded "Do you want it to discover us?"

"No, sorry" Suzaku apologized. "I suppose we'll have to go in, grab the gem, and dash out immediately."

"I doubt a simple plan like that would work" Lelouch contemplated and looked around for other ideas. "Oh, there! You see those vines hanging from the entrance to above the dragon's head? If you swing from those until you are over the dragon, you can grab the gem and quickly swing back"

"Are you sure it's going to hold me? (It could be vines) I'm very heavy, you know?"

"Yes, I do in fact know how heavy you are, and yes I'm sure that it will be able to hold you. Now go on. I'll keep watch from here." Lelouch ordered.

"I still think my idea is better" Suzaku said with a sigh. Nevertheless he grabbed a root, and swung smoothly from one to the next, until he was almost above the dragon.

'_I feel like I'm being exploited for my athleticism here'_ Suzaku thought. _'This is such an unnecessarily complicated plan'_ and just as Suzaku thought it, he grabbed something that was not a root. (It was a vine.)

"Sh*t" Suzaku cursed as he caught the vine, but it snapped, causing Suzaku to fall.

"Oh no, I miscalculated!" Lelouch said coming out of his hiding place as Suzaku fell. Slow motion, Lelouch watched as Suzaku hit the back of the Dragon's neck and bounced off.

The dragon's eyes immediately snapped open, and, faster than lightning, Suzaku was out of sight.

The first thing the Dragon saw was Lelouch, and automatically assumed that it was him who awoke him (her?).

"Who dares disturb my sleep?" the Dragon's feminine (it's a female) voice boomed through the cave.

"Hey, you said something similar the first time I entered your castle" Suzaku laughed.

"Now's really not the time!" Lelouch said angrily as he saw the Red Dragon's tail coming at him. Even if he tried to Lelouch wouldn't be able to dodge.

"Guess it can't be helped" Suzaku said and he came out just as fast as he had disappeared. He blocked the Dragon's tail whip with his sword just before it hit. "Wanna fight, chibi-dragon?" Suzaku challenged.

"Oi don't go provoking it like that!" Lelouch whispered frantically.

"Chibi-dragon? How dare you?! I am the almighty Red Dragon whose name resounds through all the forests of the world!" the Red Dragon roared.

"Heh never heard of it."

"What?" the dragon sweat-dropped. "Surely you've heard about it in the WestForest?

"Nope"

"What about the east? News travels fast there"

"Nothing. You are really not as popular as you think"

"Insolent fool! My name is Kallen, and watch now as my name will resound across the world after your defeat!"

"See? Now look what you did!" Lelouch scolded.

"What? It's better this way! Just stand back and watch" Suzaku said leapt into the air, sword ready to draw blood.

Suzaku and Kallen fought evenly, matching blow for blow. That was, until the fight moved outside the cave.

Out in the open, Kallen wasn't afraid to use the power which gave her the title she had. With one mighty roar, she let loose a large amount of fire from her mouth.

Suzaku managed to evade it just in time, and with his strong legs, quickly dashed so he was behind the dragon. However, she didn't miss a beat, immediately swept her tail across the ground, leaving a trial of fire as she did so. Suzaku jumped up and aimed to slice the dragon's throat from behind.

Kallen quickly turned her head and aimed to catch Suzaku between her blazing fangs, but Suzaku was fast enough to pierce the top of the dragon's mouth with his sword, and from there launched himself to a safer distance.

"Ugh I can't seem to shake her…" Suzaku said, frustrated.

Lelouch watched silently as the battle progressed. He noticed something peculiar about the Red Dragon, Kallen's, behavior. Despite her being outside, she didn't take flight into the air. Lelouch found it odd that she wouldn't use such an advantage, unless she was protective over her wings for some reason.

'_Could it be?'_ Lelouch watched as Suzaku came flying back, embers crashing all around him. Lelouch thought he saw something flash across the wings.

"Suzaku" Lelouch ordered "I need you to get into the line of fire again. Literally"

"What? So you want me to die?"

"No. I assure you this will lead to your survival (probably)."

At that, Suzaku went silent.

"Alright, I'll trust you on this one" he agreed.

He charged at the dragon, which was already ready with one of her inferno-flame-claws.

'_There!'_ Lelouch saw it.

Suzaku came flying back across the ground again, until he reached a stop at Suzaku's feet. Lelouch knelt next to Suzaku.

"Listen, here. I've found her weak spot."

"What?"

Lelouch explained. "It's her source of power. Sever that and you'll win!"

Suzaku looked skeptical at first, but the certainty in Lelouch's eyes that Suzaku would win overrode any fears he might have previously held. "I'll trust you on this one" Suzaku said quietly. With one last reassuring nod from Lelouch, Suzaku was up and away.

Suzaku jumped from one tree branch to the next, going higher and higher, higher than he ever went before.

"Come and get me if you dare!" Suzaku provoked the dragon. However she was adamant about staying on the ground, and released another stream of fire at Suzaku from her mouth. It missed Suzaku by a thin margin.

"You won't get me from there!" he teased. Angry, Kallen released a few more 'fire roars'. All of them missed, and with her fiery personality, losing was not unacceptable. And as such, she launched into the air. She flapped her majestic wings, accelerating fast.

Suzaku used that precise opportunity to jump down from the top of the tree, straight towards the dragon.

'_Aim for her wings'_ he heard Lelouch's voice in his thoughts. _'The nerves in her wings are the source of her power. If you severe them, I'm sure she'll go down!_' The absolute faith Lelouch had in Suzaku gave Suzaku the strength he needed to win.

'_Dammit…I messed up!'_ Kallen realized a little too late. In no time, Suzaku reached her. Using the sharp side of his sword, Suzaku sliced the tip of the dragon's wings. Pure magic currents were released into the open, creating sparks which immediately exploded upon contact.

Suzaku and the Dragon were both sent crashing to the ground.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch called, in seconds next to him. "Are you okay?"

'*Cough* It looks like your plan actually worked this time" Suzaku laughed.

"If you're well enough to insult me then I suppose you're just fine" Lelouch laughed good-naturedly as well. At one point, Lelouch was unsure if he had made the right decision bringing the wandering knight along. But Lelouch was happy that he did. Suzaku protected him today, just like he said he would at the beginning of the journey. As much as he hated to admit it, Lelouch owed Suzaku one. "You've done well" Lelouch said as he looked at the unconscious dragon.

'_You put your faith in me'_ Lelouch offered Suzaku's his hand _'maybe, from now on, I'll put my faith in you as well.'_

"It was thanks to your idea" the White knight said humbly, taking Lelouch's hand and allowing him to help him up.

"But, wow, that Red Dragon was something! 'Kallen', huh? I'll remember that name!" Suzaku said as he went over to retrieve the Guren Gem. "We'll be taking this now. Sweet dreams!" Suzaku said and they left.

* * *

When Suzaku and Lelouch neared the tree, Enchantress Milly was sitting on a piece of tree trunk outside. She saw them and immediately stood up to greet them.

"Welcome back!"

"It would've been sooner if it wasn't for that stupid map you drew" Suzaku chided.

"Now Suzaku, she's not the only one to blame. You almost took us to the peak of the mountain, too."

"Was my map really that bad?" Milly asked sadly.

"Not at all, my lady. In fact it was very clever in the way it guides one around the forest. We had some great scenery"

"When we almost fell of that cliff, yes. Anyway, here's the crystal you requested." Suzaku said, handing the Guren Gem to the unofficial ruler of the forest.

"Wonderful!" Milly exclaimed as she took the gem from Suzaku. "It's even prettier than before! I can you to have taken great care of it!"

Milly went and put the gem on the crystal pedestal in the back of the Hollow Tree. As soon as it was placed on the pedestal, it began to glow in a faint purplish light. The light spread from the pedestal, to the rest of the tree and then to the entire forest. Everything started to regain its 'shine', and the dark leaves from before began to glow.

It was a marvelous sight. Suzaku looked at Lelouch and saw that he and the soft purple light fitted perfectly together. The idea of having to separate the two, saddened Suzaku, but he knew it had to happen sooner or later because they needed to move on and rescue Nunnally. Suzaku was glad though, because he had the precious memory he could treasure.

Lelouch looked at Suzaku and caught him staring at him. He wasn't entirely surprised, since this was the same goofy look Suzaku had on his face the first time he saw Lelouch. For Suzaku to look at him like that again…must have been because he had some 'eureka' moment, or began to saw Lelouch in a new light, or something.

Since Suzaku was already looking at him, Lelouch decided to say what he should have said earlier.

"Thank you" Lelouch said, surprising Suzaku when the former suddenly spoke "For saving me. If I may, I'd like to continue relying on your knighthood. Also, may the last fight for Nunnally be an honorable one" Lelouch said, and held one hand out to Suzaku.

At first, Suzaku was horribly confused. All he understood was Lelouch thanking him, something about knighthood, the last battle for Nunnally, and that Lelouch was offering him his hand, meaning that for now, Suzaku had some of Lelouch's trust.

Suzaku gratefully took Lelouch's hand. Sure they argued a lot and Lelouch's plans were sometimes crazy, but Suzaku was starting to like the idea of him being Lelouch's knight and protecting him more and more.

"That's exactly what I want!" he said.

All the animals returned, and Milly easily hosted the most extravagant 'welcome back' party in all the Southern regions. The animals, such as the flying dolphin (don't worry, they're relatively small birds with gills as a bonus gift courtesy of evolution), ducks with turtle shells and lion monkeys, gladly joined the festivities.

Suzaku, having not slept since he reached Lelouch's castle, crashed after the first few drinks. Lelouch didn't have the luxury of rest yet, not when he still had important negotiations to make.

"This is it" Milly said when they reached the Crane Chariot stalls. She was reluctant to leave her guests for a matter of business, but upon Lelouch's insistence she couldn't decline.

"Sayoko here is our best girl" Milly showed toward one of the cranes with an interesting brown bob-do. She was a pure white colour, with slightly darker shades of grey here and there. Attached to her back was a type of sled, obviously made from some of the highest quality wood in the forest. A large bird, its back was large enough to carry the entire sled, and it's wings spanned an amazing length at the sides.

"She can brave any storm" Milly advertised proudly. Lelouch looked into the yellow eyes of the Crane. He saw quiet determination in them.

"You are right. I can feel her strong willpower. I'll take her"

'Wonderful!" Milly said clasping her hands together. "I'm so happy she pleases you!"

"Have her ready to leave one hour before dawn."

"Yes sir!" the 'Enchantress' said with a mock salute.

'_I have to rest too' _Lelouch thought as he headed back_ 'It's been a long and stressful day for me. As bothersome as sleep is at a time like this, it's also necessary. What a paradox indeed. Wait for us Nunnally, I promise I'll save you, and when I do I'll make sure you have a safer life than you've ever had before. Tomorrow, one hour before dawn, __Suzaku and I__ will set out; ready to fight whatever storm may await us beyond the glimmering trees.'_

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading my this chapter!

Special shout-out thanks to reviewers **A Random Person**, **Guest**, **yuuram2fangirl**, **Suki Akari** and **NessatheSinner**, and a

Normal shout-out thanks for all those who favorite/ followed my story, you guys are awesome and the driving force behind my work!

Please tell me your thoughts, feelings and desires, I treasure them! Also, hope the looong chapter didn't scare you guys off, I kind of got carried away writing about the squabbles between Suzaku and Lelouch, it's so fun! Please continue to review/ favorite/follow, and look forward to the next chapter!


	5. In the Eye of the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of its related characters.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: In the Eye of the Storm

"Suzaku, we're leaving!" Lelouch called as he mounted the Crane Sayaka. It was roughly around an hour before dawn. A fresh carpet of dew covered grass and plants alike. The last remaining stars were fading, one by one.

"Just wait a minute!" Suzaku laughed. Turtle ducks had tackled him to the ground. They didn't want him to leave and thought that maybe if they smothered him with their little pecks, he would stay, though Lelouch knew where Suzaku's priorities were. Although Lelouch was growing more and more uncertain seeing how much Suzaku was enjoying the attention.

"Hmph, typical" Lelouch huffed.

"What is?" Milly, who had come to see them off, asked. She looked towards where Lelouch was looking; at a completely subdued Suzaku lying on the ground.

"Just the way the animals shower Suzaku with their innocent affection. Animals and humans are just drawn to him, I suppose. He's the 'very-likable' archetype of character."

At the statement, Milly's ears perked.

"What a completely boring way to say you actually like him!" Milly complained with a dramatic sigh. Lelouch wanted to disagree immediately, but he knew that that reaction would only confirm the statement for Milly.

"Let's just say I _tolerate_ him." Lelouch answered coolly instead.

"Oh, is that so?" Milly said, raising an eyebrow.

"He's very kind and a good kid" Lelouch added quickly, wondering why and of what he was trying to convince the Enchantress.

"Speaking of good kids, some of mine went on a reconnaissance mission into the Western Sky, but haven't returned since"she held her hands in front of her chest, looking very despondent.

"Oh?" Lelouch was glad the topic change, albeit to another troublesome one, in which he was unwilling (but probably had no choice), but to get involved in "And why are you telling me this?"

"Geez, you're not cute at all. Normally when a lady sounds in distress, a gentleman would offer to help her" Milly glared fiercely at Lelouch, although it was as ferocious as the glare of a kitten whose milk was taken away.

"Hoh? And you are the lady here?" Lelouch raised his other eyebrow. (Thankfully), before Milly could retort, Suzaku chipped in.

"What are you guys talking about?" Suzaku asked. He had finally managed to get himself off of the ground, although there was still a Lion Monkey on his shoulder, nipping at his hair.

"Oh nothing, my call for help is just being completely ignored, that's all"

"Call for help?" Suzaku repeated.

"That's right. Two of my comrades had gone missing and I'm worried, I'm hoping that _someone _would see to their safe return, but no~" Milly dragged on her 'o', pouting like a little child, hoping that it would amount to something.

'_Missing comrades? That seems like a time-consuming job. It's no wonder Lelouch is unwilling to help her, but it would be kind of rude to turn her down after the hospitality she showed us (although we did actually work for it)'_ Suzaku thought, glancing at Lelouch, who looked away and closed his eyes.

"It's possible that they had been captured and are being held captive in the Li Britannia Palace. Since that's where you're supposed to go next anyway, I thought that you might as well save them" Milly reasoned.

"Well I suppose if we _happen _to come across something we'll see what we can do" Lelouch sighed.

"Wonderful! That's all I want to hear! See, you DO know how to be a gentleman, Lelouch!" Milly's face and eyes lit a like a Christmas tree, and Suzaku and Lelouch immediately knew that there was no turning back. There was no way that they could not help Milly after seeing her so happy.

"Right right" Lelouch said as Suzaku climbed abroad. Suzaku was happy that Lelouch was willing to let the Enchantress depend on him again. It would have felt wrong for Suzaku otherwise.

"Well then, until next time" Lelouch said and he used the reins to let Sayaka take off*

"Bye bye Enchantress! Also, all of you animals take care off Milly!"

"What are you talking about? I'm the one taking care off them!" Milly retorted with a wave. Suzaku grinned widely and returned the wave.

* * *

Sayaka soared high into the sky, until Milly and her companions were mere dots below them.

"Amazing, we're so high!" Suzaku exclaimed as he looked down at the forest. The leaves still shone like crystals, giving the forest an ethereal glow. From above, it almost looked like a heavenly underworld.

"Not really, this is quite a normal height to fly at"

"Oh that's right; I forgot that you were actually a dragon before hand!" Suzaku smiled sheepishly.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Lelouch wondered softly. "Anyway I'm just glad we made it out of there alive."

"I know what you mean. That Enchantress' motives seem really dodgy sometimes" Suzaku pointed out aloud "I wondered actually if that Guren Gem was really hers?"

"I think it was, it gave the forest its shine back, after all"

"That's true, but why would the Dragon have taken it then?"

"I'm not sure. It's probably because it liked the red glow and found a friend in the gem?" Lelouch said in a very serious tone, causing Suzaku to burst out laughing. "What?"

"No no, it's nothing" Suzaku laughed, and Lelouch left it at that.

Milly told them earlier that the palace was somewhere in the sky, and that they need to be vigilant in the storm. There were Dragon Knights around every cloud, just waiting to apprehend illegal trespassers. Milly reassured them though that Sayaka would see them through to the end. All they had to do was figure out where the palace was.

Lelouch didn't think that the palace would be somewhere in the storm, but rather somewhere above the clouds. However, the clouds were so high that it seemed unlikely for the palace to be in an atmospheric level with less oxygen.

'_So where then?'_ Lelouch wondered as he looked towards the eastern horizon.

The sky was slowly getting lighter, the sun still waiting to peak its head over the distant plains. But that horizon of beauty was not where Lelouch and Suzaku were heading.

No, they had to go in the completely opposite direction; into the Western Sky where only a terrible dark storm was awaiting them. They had to fly away from the beautiful and into the dangerous.

Lelouch held on tightly to the reins as he angled the crane towards the storm. There was no hesitance in the flap of the Sayaka's wings. There was an unspoken agreement between the crane and the man who if even one of them showed weakness, both of them would go down.

Suzaku envied the invisible bond they had. He wanted to be useful as well. With sharp eyes, he watched Lelouch. Suzaku could tell that Lelouch was feeble in his human form. Lelouch was gripping the reins tightly, but Suzaku could see that Lelouch's arms were strained.

If this was what Lelouch was like now, it made Suzaku wonder if Lelouch would be able to hold out when they actually entered the storm.

As Suzaku was wondering about this, a great gust of wind shook the chariot. For a moment Lelouch lost his balance, and in a reflex Suzaku reached out for Lelouch, but Lelouch regained his balance himself.

'_My heart's not ready for this' _Suzaku thought, clutching his shirt, trying to calm his pounding heart. But the adrenaline wouldn't slow down for a while. Consecutive gusts of wind continuously shook the chariot. They were getting closer and closer to the midst of the storm.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku called loudly, over the roars of thunder "Let me take over the reins!" he insisted, moving slowly towards Lelouch as to not lose his balance.

"Why do you feel the need to do that?" Lelouch asked back, but even his shouts were strained.

"We're about to hit some serious head wind, and I know that I will be able to handle it better because I'm stronger" Suzaku explained as it started to rain all around them.

"That won't be necessary, I'm not _that_ weak!" Lelouch insisted as the chariot began to rock in the wind.

'_What stubborn pride!' _Suzaku thought with clenched teeth.

"Then at least let me help you in handling the reins!" Suzaku grabbed the reins over Lelouch's hands. The sudden contact caused an unknown sensation to travel up Lelouch's spine.

"I told you that it won't be necessary!" Lelouch said again, trying to shove Suzaku away. Just then a strong wind caused the chariot to tip. Lelouch, who had let go of one rein, lost his balance.

Everything in Suzaku's world slowed to a turtle's pace as Lelouch fell over the rail of the chariot. A flash of lighting lit up the dark sky. Suzaku's survival instincts kicked into high gear.

The last thing Lelouch could see was Suzaku shouting something, reaching out his hands. The tips of their fingers were about to touch, but the greater hand of gravity grasped Lelouch first. A second flash of lighting lit up Suzaku's horrified expression.

Lelouch was plunged through the clouds, gravity unwilling to let him go.

"LELOUCH!" Lelouch could hear his name being called in the distance, before everything around him went black.

"Damn it!" Suzaku cursed as he grabbed hold of the reins and pulled it back. Sayaka was brought to an immediate halt. "Sayaka, we have to save Lelouch! Please, lend me your strength!" at that, Sayaka made a u-turn and nose-dived towards Lelouch.

Sayaka caught up to Lelouch in no time. Suzaku reached out his hand for Lelouch's, but saw that Lelouch's eyes were closed.

'_Just hold on a bit longer!' _Suzaku thought desperately. He tried to will Lelouch closer. As soon as Lelouch was within reach, Suzaku grabbed him around the waist. He pulled Lelouch towards his chest.

With his other hand, Suzaku tugged the rein, telling Sayaka to get back on course. The crane quickly ascended to a higher altitude.

In the far distance, Suzaku could see the clouds opening up to let a great beam of sunlight through.

'_That must be the eye of the storm Lelouch talked about' _Suzaku thought and steered Sayaka in the direction of light.

"Geez, if you had listened to me this wouldn't have happened" Suzaku said softly to the still-unconscious Lelouch lying in his arms.

Lelouch's damp hair was plastered to his forehead. Suzaku swept the hair out of Lelouch's face as a vast bright blue sky opened up above them. The sun shone down on them, warming them. The water drops which still clung to Lelouch's hair reflected the sun's light, glittering.

In the sunlight, Lelouch's pale skin was even more striking for Suzaku. Suzaku moved his hand to catch the water drop that slid down Lelouch's cheek, when Lelouch stirred.

At first he clenched his eyes, before opening them and blinking a few times. At first, Lelouch could only see a dark figure looming over him, before his eyes adjusted. First Lelouch made out the brown hair, then the green eyes.

"Suzaku?!" Lelouch registered, sitting up quickly before swaying a bit.

"Whoa, easy there. You just fell of the chariot, remember?" Suzaku asked tentatively, stabilizing Lelouch.

Lelouch took a while to gather his thoughts. Lelouch shrugged out of Suzaku's grip and moved away.

"That's right. I was busy flying and then you wanted to take over, despite my protests" Lelouch looked at Suzaku accusingly.

"Right, and now you know that if you had accepted my help, you wouldn't have fallen over"

"If you never offered your help in the first place I wouldn't have fallen anyway"

"Don't try to blame me for this, I saved you!" Suzaku argued.

"Ah right, thank you very much" Lelouch thanked in a counterfeited appreciative tone.

"Geez, if I wasn't there you would have definitely fallen…" Suzaku continued, pouting, but Lelouch had already moved on from their blame game.

He looked on at the distance. Situated high in the middle of the eye of the storm was a Cumulonimbus cloud. On this cloud there was a magnificent white palace. Large glass windows adorned the castle walls. Balconies extended from ever side and on every level. Several glass dome-topped towers rose above the main building and shone like golden beacons.

"We're almost there" Lelouch said.

"Wow amazing, so that's our next checkpoint!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"That's correct. The person living here will be able to give us more information on the whereabouts of Nunnally"

'_Nunnally, huh? Come to think of it, whenever Lelouch and I are not arguing, he only ever talks about his sister. Does he really think of nothing else?'_ Suzaku wondered _'It might be it, although I don't have a sibling so I wouldn't know what amount of thinking about a sibling is considered 'healthy'. Especially if one of them was kidnapped…'_

"Hopefully _that woman's_ not here…" Lelouch added softly, scrutinizing the castle, while Suzaku his lost in his pondering about 'sibling love'.

* * *

"Welcome to the Li Britannia Palace!" the pink-haired beauty said as Lelouch and Suzaku stepped of off the Crane.

"Sorry for coming by announced" Lelouch said as the pink-haired girl walked towards him.

"Not at all" she said kindly and stopped a few feet in front of Lelouch. With her light purple eyes she looked up into Lelouch's slightly darker purple ones. "It's been a long time, Lelouch" she said, reaching up for him.

"It sure has, Euphemia" Lelouch said and returned her hug.

Suzaku felt oddly like a third wheel while in the presence of those two. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Suzaku awkwardly cleared his throat.

"You know her?" Suzaku asked.

Euphemia looked at Suzaku for the first time, her eyes lit up, pleased to see the guest Lelouch had brought along.

"Oh, you haven't told him yet?" Euphemia asked, looking sideways at Lelouch.

"There's no need for him to know" Lelouch replied simply.

"Know what?" Suzaku felt that he was being left out of the loop. And he didn't like being the odd one out.

Euphemia walked towards Suzaku and held out her hand to him.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Euphemia."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Suzaku." Suzaku said, taking Euphemia's hand in his own.

"Thank you very much for taking care of my *Lelouch coughs*

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Don't mention it" Suzaku said, looking suspiciously at Lelouch, who was feigning innocence.

"Well then, please come in" Euphemia said as she showed them towards the door.

"Pardon the intrusion" Lelouch said as he and Suzaku stepped into the house.

They were led through the foyer and a vast room opened up before them. Despite it having the same layout as Lelouch's castle, it was the complete opposite. Instead of the dark, gloominess of Lelouch's castle, Euphemia's castle was brightly lit, Instead of small windows; there was floor to ceiling windows. The open sky made the room feel even larger than it actually was. Instead of suffocating, there seem to be an over abundance of fresh air. Instead of a raging storm, a calm breeze filtered through the main hall.

"It's amazing" Suzaku breathed, awed by the many glass pillars supporting the castle's ceiling.

"Thank you very much" Euphemia said. She led them up a purple-tinted glass staircase. "My brother, Clovis, is a glass architect. This palace was his life's work." Euphemia explained as they walked down a white-walled and dark purple rugged hall and up another, steeper flight of stairs.

"Hoh? When will we get to meet him?" Suzaku asked cheerfully. Euphemia stopped mid-step. She was silent for a while.

"You won't" she said, and over her shoulder glanced at Suzaku. "He's above us now…" she said solemnly, meeting Lelouch's eyes before she turned her head forward and continued climbing the stairs.

"Above…?" Suzaku looked above them. There was a dome roof above them, with an oculus in the middle. The blue sky was all he could see. "Oh" Suzaku realized. "My condolences"

"Thank you, but don't worry about it" Euphemia said, masking her sadness with strained cheerfulness.

Lelouch looked up at the oculus, and shifted his gaze towards the blue skies outside. Lelouch never liked blue skies. It was as if their intense blue was always ridiculing and mocking him with its happiness. The intense blue always reminded him of _that day. _Lelouch have never had any real regrets. It's just that when it came to the innocent and naïve girl in front of him, he sometimes wished that things had worked out differently. Now all that Lelouch could do was seal himself in the dark clouds of his memories.

He looked up at where Suzaku was talking with Euphemia, trying to lighten the heavy mood. It was working, and Lelouch felt grateful towards Suzaku. Lelouch looked out the window again.

'_Nunnally would have loved this view'_ he thought, eyes disappearing under the shadow of his hair.

"I'm sure you know why I've come here" Lelouch stated, taking a sip from the tea Euphemia brought them.

"Of course, what other reason would you have to come here?" Euphemia played along "It's about Nunnally, am I right?"

"The Enchantress told me that if some dragon caught Nunnally then they would've passed through here, since you can't easily go through the skies ahead without bumping into _her_"

"That's right, Milly's quite a sharp one" Euphemia laughed before turning serious "It's true, Nunnally did come through here."

"So it's true?" Lelouch stood up eagerly. "Did you see who it was? Where are they headed? And more importantly, is Nunnally hurt?"

"Slow down, Lelouch, try as I might I can still only answer one question at a time"

At that Lelouch sank back into his seat.

"It was a Wind Dragon who came through here. He bore the seal of the second-in-command of the Dragon Clan."

"So it was _him_"

"Yes, and as such I'm sure you know where the dragon's going"

"Pendragon" Lelouch and Euphemia said in unison.

At that, Lelouch sighed. The green witch had been correct. That greatly troubled Lelouch. How did she know the Dragon's end destination? Could she have been their accomplice? What if it was all just a trap to lure him in?

'_No' _Lelouch reprimanded himself. _'I can't afford to think of all the worst case scenarios now. Nunnally needs me and __there's __only one path I can take to save her!' _

While Lelouch was busy amping himself up, Suzaku scooted closer to Euphemia.

"Has Lelouch always been this crazy about his sister?" he asked in a whisper.

The questioned amused, more than surprised, Euphemia.

"Haven't you noticed yet?" she asked, holding her hand over her smiling mouth.

"All I've noticed is that, whenever Lelouch and I are not arguing, it's always Nunnally this or Nunnally that"

"Yes, that!"

"But what about it? I don't have a sibling so I wouldn't know if that amount of love is healthy or not" he asked, looking down in shame of his ignorance.

"No, I wouldn't say that amount of love is 'healthy'. In fact, we like to refer to people like Lelouch as having somewhat of a 'sister-complex'"

"A sister-complex? What is that?"

Euphemia's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Oh I think you would understand it better if you asked the man himself" Euphemia said, pointing at Lelouch.

"? Alright" Suzaku scouted back to the side of the sofa which was closer to the armchair Lelouch was sitting on.

"Hey, Lelouch" Suzaku probed Lelouch, bringing his thought train to an unpleasant halt.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"Ne, Euphemia tells me you have a sister complex, but I don't know what it is, so could you maybe explain it to me?"

There were two things in the present situation that grinded Lelouch's gears. The first was that Suzaku was really more ignorant than Lelouch thought at first and had the gall to ask Lelouch something like that so innocently. The second thing was that Euphemia actually told Suzaku that Lelouch had a sister complex. Euphemia, of all people! Lelouch wouldn't stand for it.

"A sister complex? Me? That's ridiculous!" Lelouch said, standing up and marching towards Euphemia who was sitting opposite him. "If anyone has a sister complex, it's this girl over here!" he said, and pointed towards her.

"Me? Why do you say that?" Euphemia asked, seemingly unfazed by Lelouch's outburst.

"You always seek Cornelia's approval and affection! And she dotes on you even more! The amount of love between you is not normal!"

"How uncouth!" Euphemia said, standing up for herself.

"Guys, its okay, no need to fight, I think I understand what a sister complex is now" Suzaku tried to calm the fire.

"No, this _princess _needs to know that she can't just randomly refer to people as having sister complexes"

"Wait, 'princess'?" Suzaku was completely lost.

"It's not random! You love Nunnally to bits" Euphemia persisted.

"Did I miss something?" Suzaku thought worriedly.

"And you Cornelia…"

"OH PRINCESS!" Suzaku exclaimed and fell on his right knee in front of Euphemia, effectively shutting both of them up. "Please forgive me for my earlier rudeness, I had no idea you were a princess!" Suzaku bowed his head in shame.

"Eh?" Euphemia was more than a bit surprised. "It is okay, Suzaku. You didn't ask so I didn't say anything. It's not like I proclaim the fact that I'm a princess to the world, you know?"

"Please forgive me!"

"Right right I forgive you, now please rise" Euphemia said, moving her hands to calm Suzaku.

"You really didn't suspect anything from the huge royal-looking castle?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, sorry I didn't put two and two together like that, okay?" Suzaku said, all teary-eyed.

Lelouch walked up to Suzaku and patted his head. Lelouch didn't really blame Suzaku for not noticing, and he was actually glad that Suzaku hadn't realized anything up until now. Him freaking out was enough to stop the argument from going in circles (which may or may not have been Lelouch's plan from the first time he mentioned that Euphemia was actually a princess.)

"Now that we've got that out of the way, I actually have a second request for you, Euphemia…"

Euphemia looked from Suzaku, who had calm down a bit since Lelouch patted Suzaku's head as if the brown-haired male had been a good kid, to Lelouch.

She kind of knew what task he had in mind for her…

* * *

"Gilford, are there any reports?" A purple-clad mature woman asked her glasses-wearing dark haired subordinate. They were both sitting strapped into saddles which rested on the backs of large dragons.

"Yes, my lady. I was informed that Princess Euphemia had received two visitors a while ago."

"Verification?"

"None, my lady. It seems that they did not go through the regular channels to obtain access to these skies"

"Odd" She cupped her chin in 'the thinker'-fashion "How did they reach the palace? These storms are not supposed to be so easy to pass through"

"I have been informed that the visitors arrived on a Crane Chariot"

"A Crane Chariot? Those infamous birds said to be able to brave any storm? I believe that they are only attainable in the forests to the east, which means…"

"It's probably as we suspect. He has arrived"

"Tsk" she clenched her teeth "Slipped through right under my nose…my knights, head for the castle and apprehend Lelouch!"

"Yes, Commander Cornelia!" the knights chanted, all together heading in the direction of the palace.

"You won't escape this time!" Cornelia silently vowed, as she also ordered her dragon to return to the palace.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, thank you for reading, I really appreciate it :)

Special shout-out thanks for **A Random Person**, **Guest**, **Yuuram2fangirl, InsanePurpleLove,**** AzulTheBlueDragon **and** Suki Akari **for reviewing, and a

normal shout-out thanks for **all** those who followed/favorited.

Please review and tell me your thoughts, feelings, qualms and/or desires for the story, because at this point _'Anything can happen, anything can happen'_ ;)

Thanks a mil to my beta, **Icy-Kitty117** she always helps me out a lot!


	6. Down the 'One Way' Street

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 6 - Down the 'One-Way' Street

Suzaku rushed down the hall. The only sound in his ears were his footsteps which echoed off of the glass floor. Suzaku was sure that if he wasn't careful enough, that he would break the floor.

But Suzaku's mind wasn't on consciously controlling the amount of strength he exerted. No, he was focused on finding the hidden dungeon which is said to hold the prisoners from the land.

_Flashback_

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know of any 'other' guests, would you? Of the 'animal-variety' kind" Lelouch asked, looking Euphemia square in the eyes.

'I remember' Lelouch added 'that when Clovis was young it was a hobby of his to seek out the exotic, the 'otherworldly'. He would put it on display for his own personal amusement. He always claimed that it was part of his 'aesthetic' as an artist. I suspect that this 'aesthetic' of his made its way into this palace and Cornelia must have been more than happy to adopt his hobby."

Euphemia stayed silent for a while. Not because she didn't have something to say, but because she seemed to flow down a stream of nostalgia.

"You remember well" she said longingly. "You are right, dear Lelouch. Clovis included a dungeon into this castle, and presently Cornelia is using it to for holding all the ones she captured"

"Can you tell us where it is?" Lelouch asked, much to Euphemia's surprise.

Normally Lelouch would just get people to slip up and give him the information he wanted, but he asked Euphemia a straight question. In that case, Lelouch, but by asking her openly, he is implying that he trusts her. And Euphemia would oh-so-hate to break that trust.

"You would have to follow the flight of stairs down to the cloud floor. Access can then only be granted to those with permission, but…"

"That will not be a problem" Lelouch had heard enough to formulate a plan. "Suzaku" Lelouch addressed Suzaku, who, as if on reflex, stood on attention. "Follow the path Euphemia just mentioned and see if you can find the two missing lambs."

"Roger, but what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to bring the Crane around. We'll rendezvous at the Southern tower, understand?"

"Hai!" Suzaku said, and they split ways.

_Flashback Ends_

Lelouch had finally trusted Suzaku enough to allow him to do things on his own, and although Suzaku was excited, no, ecstatic about it, he also felt frustrated.

He knew so little of what was truly going on. In the previous conversation between Lelouch and Euphemia, Suzaku felt that there was another conversation taking place on a whole different level which he could not comprehend.

Suzaku had noticed the absence of suspicion in Lelouch's eyes when he gazed at the Princess. That gaze, filled with trust originating from a deep relationship, was mesmerizing for Suzaku. It was like something from another world, something which Suzaku could only dream about one day seeing.

Until then, all that Lelouch would feel fit for Suzaku to know is that Suzaku had to protect Lelouch throughout their journey until they saved Nunnally, after which they will fight for her. Lelouch wasn't concerned with filling Suzaku in on the details about the culprit or even where they were going. Suzaku just tagged along, like a dog on a string. And the string tying them together was Nunnally.

But now, Suzaku started to question his intentions. Would he really risk his own life to save someone he has never even met before, and then marry that person? There might be something else that is tying him and the former dragon together. If there is something else, then what will Suzaku do after they had saved Nunnally?

'_Well'_ Suzaku thought _'It's no use worrying about that now; all I have to focus on now is finding those other two while Lelouch is with the Princess. The Princess…'_ Suzaku paused to think about the pink-haired beauty.

Suzaku had picked up in the earlier conversation that the one behind the kidnapping was the second-in-command of the dragon Clan, and that they were headed for Pendragon. What intrigued Suzaku was that Euphemia's surname was li Britannia, and that this 'second-in-command' was also 'something-Britannia'.

'_Didn't that mean that Euphemia was in cahoots with the culprit, and that Euphemia could have given them false information? Or that she could even betray them at the drop of a hat?'_

Suzaku knew this fear was far-fetched, for he couldn't detect even a grain of malicious intent in the kind, gentle and innocent Princess. He doubted that the Princess even knew where to back stab a person in the first place.

If nothing else, Lelouch at least seemed to trust her, which was enough to set Suzaku's mind even a bit more at ease. It wasn't like Lelouch to make a mistake in trusting someone he should not have trusted. If Euphemia did decide to surprise them all and betray Lelouch, Suzaku would be there with a sword pointed at her throat.

.

.

While Suzaku was thinking about what he would do to Euphemia if she ever betrayed Lelouch, he heard meek murmurs and faint calls for help. The calls reminded him of little animals that had not been fed for a week and was desperately searching for their masters, but was powerless to do so.

Suzaku slammed the brakes and, after he had made a 90 degree turn, went down a long and narrow corridor. The walls were no longer made of glass but clear and sturdy Rainbow Quartz. The aesthetics of the castle never ceased to surprise Suzaku.

He came to a door which had an unnecessarily elaborate lock. Around the door were chains which were tied together in the middle with the lock. Using the hilt of his sword, Suzaku continuously jabbed the lock until it finally submitted to Suzaku's power and broke.

He stepped through the door and the narrow corridor opened up into a larger room. The entire room glittered in the sun's light. However, the light never seemed to reach the inside of the dismal prison cells.

Slowly, Suzaku walked through the room, past the cells. Some cells were empty; others had exotic creatures in that Suzaku had never even seen or heard about before.

Suzaku came to an abrupt halt. He realised that he actually had no idea who or what exactly he was looking for. The only clue Suzaku had, was the type of company Milly liked to hold, and that was normally cute little animals, so that would probably be a good place for him to start.

Suzaku scanned the room until he noticed something small and cuddly in the last cell of the row on his right hand side. He walked to the cage and, kneeling down, looked at the small black-purple Neko bat. Suzaku talked to the little flying carnivore, hoping for a reaction.

"Hello, little one. I have come from Milly, do you know her? She's very worried about you. Oh but I see you're all alone, do you know where your companion is?" Suzaku asked the sleeping creature.

It merely opened one eye and looked Suzaku up and down before going back to sleep.

Suzaku felt a jab of irritation of having been ignored. He was about to say something insulting when he heard a stirring next to him.

He looked to his left and saw that there was another cell at the end of the room. Inside the cell there were two animals, no…humans?

One had bright orange hair and had cat-ears and a tail, while the other had short dark hair and looked half-beaver with a track suit on..

'_They're definitely different from the other prisoners...Could it be them?'_ Suzaku wondered.

"Milly?" A soft, feminine voice asked, answering Suzaku's own dormant question.

'_She knows Milly? It has to be them!'_ Suzaku thought excitedly.

* * *

Slowly, Lelouch and Euphemia walked out on the terrace. The hybrid-dragon was the first to break the blissful silence between them.

"So you will help distract Cornelia while we make our escape?" Lelouch wanted to confirm.

"Yes" Euphemia answered, seemingly preoccupied with something else.

Lelouch could tell that Euphemia had a lot of questions that she was burning to ask, but Lelouch didn't have time to play 20 questions.

"Lelouch?" Euphemia asked when Lelouch mounted Sayaka. Lelouch looked down at Euphemia, hoping that her question was a simple one. It was not.

"Are you going after him - our father?"

Lelouch looked away and stared into the distance. In the immediate proximity, clear blue skies surrounded the palace. However, in the distance the dark clouds loomed ominously over them. For Lelouch, the palace represented Euphemia's innocent heart, and the storm clouds the evil of the world that Lelouch never wanted to expose his precious half-sister to.

However, when Lelouch looked back into Euphemia's eyes, he could not deny her an answer.

"Yes" Lelouch said simply "I have to save Nunnally and relinquish father from a position where he can threaten the ones I love""

Euphemia was greatly disturbed by this.

"No, Lelouch, you mustn't! Have you forgotten what had happen to Clovis all those years ago?" Euphemia protested while Lelouch's eyes narrowed at the mentioning of his late brother's name.

"You must turn back from the path of revenge, and seek forgiveness and love!" she persisted after Lelouch stayed silent.

"It is already too late. Revenge is a one-way street for me, dear Euphy. I wouldn't even call what I'm doing now revenge; it is preservation for the future." Lelouch said softly, but his voice resonated loudly within Euphemia's ears.

Lelouch moves to take off, but Euphemia stops him.

"Wait, Lelouch! Do you intend to drag your companion down to hell with you?!"

Lelouch paused and looked at Euphemia over his shoulder.

"If he follows me down to Hell, it will be his own choice"

"Oh Lulu, he has such a rare spirit of kindness - "

"I realize that, and if I don't get to him now, that spirit will be wasted either way."

"Wait, Lulu!" Euphemia called after Lelouch, but he was already rounding one of the towers.

"I leave the rest in your hands, Euphy" Euphemia could hear the echo of Lelouch's voice.

Euphemia wanted to cry out, but momentarily putting her doubts aside, Euphemia focused on the herd of dragons approaching from the distance. The vanguard of the Dragon Knights was none other than Cornelia herself, and Euphemia steeled herself for whatever her vengeful sister would throw at her.

* * *

"Pleased to meet you, Rivalz and Shirley" Suzaku said, shaking hands with both at the same time.

"Same to you, but we don't have long to chat" the cat-hybrid-human Shirley said "I can hear Cornelia and her knights approaching."

"Cornelia?" Suzaku parroted. The name sounded oddly familiar to him. While Suzaku was busy trying to free Milly's two comrades from their cold prison, something clicked in Suzaku's mind. He remembered that Lelouch had also mentioned something about Cornelia being Euphemia's sister.

"That's right. She's the ruthless indiscriminate warrior of the Li Britannia Clan, who will take down any and all who dare oppose or ignore her or her ideals." Rivalz clarified "That's why her knights are always having such a hard time keeping her happy"

"Rivalz, now is not the time!" Shirley, who was already halfway out the cell, scolded Rivalz irritably, and they made their way to the Southern Tower.

From afar the sounds of an oncoming attack unit could be heard, ordering all 'trespassers' to drop their weapons and exit the palace with their hands in the air.

Simultaneously with Suzaku and his new friends, Lelouch arrived at the Southern Tower.

"Get on!" Lelouch ordered.

"Wouldn't it be better if we actually did what the Sky Cop says?" Rivalz asked, and Shirley contemplated the same.

"Hah? You don't have any weapons to drop in the first place and the last time I checked you guys had paws, not hands, so technically the order doesn't apply to you, right?" Suzaku pointed out while jumping into the chariot.

"Now, all aboard!" before Suzaku could finish his sentence, Shirley and Rivalz had already jumped into the chariot and they were on their way.

* * *

"Euphemia" Cornelia said as she landed on the terrace, moments after Lelouch had taken off. "Are you alright?" she asked as she jumped from her dragon.

"Yes, sister. As you can see, I am perfectly unharmed" Euphemia said, showing towards her undamaged light pink dress.

"I see, I am glad." Cornelia took Euphemia's hands in her own. "It seems like I've just missed the intruders." Cornelia looked out at the sky before returning her gaze to her dear younger sister. "Don't you worry, Euphy. I'll protect you!"

"Sister, wait" Euphy said, holding on to her sisters' hands before Cornelia could move it away. "The person who came here said that he was going to save Nunnally"

"Save Nunnally? Such lies! It is all the more reason to stop him"

"No, don't, Sister!"

"Why not?" Cornelia asked sharply. She was losing her temper. "We are merely returning Nunnally to where she rightfully belongs. Anyone who goes against that plan is our enemy"

"Can't you remember the only person who disappeared along with Nunnally all those years ago? The only person who bothered to protect her?"

"What are you saying?"

"Please, think back and try to remember!" Euphemia pleaded.

Not able to ignore her dear little sister's earnest request, Cornelia closed her eyes. She thought back 7 years. In her thoughts she saw a small, dark-haired boy, glaring at their father with a determined and cold face, and she remembered the fate of such insolence.

"Are you saying that he has returned?" Cornelia wanted to clarify.

"That's right. Please halt your pursuit, and let him - "

"No, I cannot believe it" Cornelia turned away from Euphemia and headed towards her patiently waiting dragon. "I will go and confirm it myself."

"But - " Euphemia wanted to protest.

"Why are you trying to stop me? You are acting strangely" Cornelia said, leaving Euphemia could neither admit to nor contradict her sister without giving herself away.

Without a further word, Cornelia took off and, hovering in the air for a moment, looked around for a sign of her prey. Faint scents of a hasty escape lingered in the air, and from it Cornelia could figure out a likely direction in which the culprit could have gone.

'_I'll find you yet, Lelouch!'_

* * *

Lelouch listened to Suzaku talking to their new companions and telling them how awesome he was for saving them in time. Suzaku seemed to have hit it off well with the two new strangers, but that didn't mean Suzaku forgot about Lelouch. Oh no, Suzaku would often ask Lelouch to admit that Lelouch would be completely lost without him.

At that, Lelouch would only smile. Lelouch was glad that he was looking out for Cornelia and thus appeared to be 'too busy' to answer truthfully to Suzaku's questions.

'_Cornelia must be close' _Lelouch thought as he felt shivers running the 100m race up and down his spine. Lelouch carefully looked at their surroundings and saw that they were heading straight into the storm of the Western Skies.

With one long glance, Lelouch saw a tiny figure approach them from behind. It was gaining on them fast.

"We've been spotted!" Lelouch announced and Suzaku, who quickly took control of the reins and maneuvered them through the sky, trying to slip out of their pursuer's line of sight.

The storm was very much like the storm in the Eastern Sky which they passed through to get to the palace. Dark clouds surrounded them, while lighting flashed, obscuring their view from time to time. Sprays of water danced all around them.

After another flash of lighting, time seemed to have come to a standstill. As the light faded, Rivalz and Shirley, who had been relatively loud up until that moment, went quiet, mouths agape. Surrounding Sayaka and them were all seven of Cornelia's knights.

"Seize them, men!" Cornelia shouted, and at her command, the knights began to move.

Much to their disappointment, Lelouch would not stand by idly while they capture him. Lelouch ran up to the help and shoved Suzaku out of the way.

"Hey!" Suzaku exclaimed, surprised at the sudden force. "Wha...Lelouch? Now's really not the time to repeat what happened earlier on our way here!"

"I'm not going to fall" Lelouch said with certainty which overrode all of Suzaku's fears. Lelouch looked from Suzaku to Rivalz and Shirley, who were both cowering in fear on the ground in fear. Lelouch shifted his gaze to the knight, to the stormy sky, and back to Suzaku.

"Suzaku, I know this might be a bit of a stretch, but you need to trust me on this"

"Geez where have I heard that before?" Suzaku said sarcastically with a sigh. "Just tell me what it is!"

Lelouch nodded and pointed to the sky.

* * *

"There planning something, Milady!" One of the knights, David, said when he saw their target raise his hand.

"Could it be a surrender?" the one named Claudio, with brown hair, asked.

"No, look; it seems like the target is signalling his companion!" Edgar, or 'Glasses-kun', pointed out.

"Do not fear them and their half-wit tactics. Charge, now!" Cornelia said, and all at once the knights charged forward.

* * *

Suzaku saw the knights fast approaching, but remained steady, his sword clutched in his hand. Lelouch had told him to wait for the right moment.

Suzaku looked up and saw the many currents of electricity gliding along the clouds. Suzaku waited for the signal from Lelouch, but when it never came he looked over his shoulder at Lelouch, thinking that Lelouch might have fallen overboard again.

But Lelouch was still standing firmly at the reins, watching the knights. After a moment, something flashed across Lelouch's eyes and he nodded his head at Suzaku.

Swiftly, Suzaku threw his sword into the air.

The lighting, seeing the metal of the sword as its next logical pathway, struck the sword, creating a blinding flash. Suzaku and Lelouch crouched down as sparks were sent flying.

Sayaka cried out as several bolts rained down around them.

"I think you've upset the clouds!" Rivalz shouted over the roaring thunder.

"That wasn't my intention, I was only following orders!" Suzaku said, holding his hands in the air in mock defence.

"Never mind that, it looked liked it worked!" Shirley said and pointed to the Dragon Knights who were standing still, allowing Lelouch and co. to make their way down into the West Forest.

"Alright, good job, Suzaku" Lelouch said as they landed in the forest.

Although Lelouch's thanks made Suzaku's day, Suzaku was still sad about his now completely charred sword. Lelouch saw this and smiled, affectionately stroking Suzaku's hair.

"Don't worry, Suzaku, we will get you new sword at the next stop…" Suzaku looked up at Lelouch and gave him an appreciative smile.

"Ooh next stop? Where are we going?" Shirley, who has been eyeing Lelouch for a while, asked.

"'_We _are not going anywhere. I am sending you two back to the Eastern Forest where the Enchantress awaits your return" Lelouch said in a no-nonsense manner.

"What? You're going to send us up into that sky again?!" Rivalz asked, very much worried about the implications of such a travel method.

"Of course not" Suzaku answered quickly "We only flew through the sky because we had to save you from the palace, right?"

"We had business at the palace ourselves" Lelouch reminded Suzaku. "But now there is no problem with letting Sayaka take you back to the Enchantress by going through the forest."

"Wait! I don't want to return yet. Please let me...us...join you" Shirley continuous persistence greatly irked Lelouch.

"Don't make light of our journey! Where we're going is no place for little girls"

"Little?!" Shirley repeated, shocked. Lelouch's comment motivated her to tag along even more. Rivalz could see where the argument was going and decided to, in an infamous moment of wisdom, intervene.

"Let's just go with what they say for now" he whispered.

"What? Why?"

"Because if we lie low for a while, they'll let down their guard and we can follow them later on"

"Oh, I see your plan, okay. Let's do it!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Rivalz spoke up. "Shirley just got a little over excited here; we'll go home as you said."

Lelouch studied Rivalz for a moment before answering.

"Alright. Sayaka, see to it that they return safely" Lelouch ordered, and Sayaka nodded her head.

"Wait, aren't we going to need Sayaka from here on?" Suzaku asked.

"No, from here on out we will change our mode of transportation and in doing so, throw any pursuers of our track" Lelouch explained, and then looked back at Rivalz, Shirley and Sayaka. "Then, until we meet again!'

"Bye bye!" Suzaku waved, and they waved back.

"Goodbye!"

"See ya'!"

"ka-KA!" *Goodbye in bird language*

.

"So, where are we going?" Suzaku asked once he was sure that the others were out of ear shot. As he asked the question, they exited the forest and came to a standstill on a hill overlooking port town.

"We - " Lelouch said before turning to Suzaku with his lips twisted into a mischievous smirk "are going on a cruise"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, thanks for reading and for your support!

Special shout-out thank you to reviewers: **AzulTheBlueDagon, ****yuuram2fangirl, ****A Random Person **and**InsanePurpleLove **and a

Normal shout-out thanks to **all** who favorited (yes I know that's not a word)/ followed my story! I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and my conscience nagging me ^^

Also for the guests and others who read my story, you're all welcome to leave comments too. ^^

BETA: **Icy-Kitty117 **Sankyuu!


	7. Across the Sea

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Across the Sea

"I know you said you would get me a new sword and all, but does it have to be here?" Suzaku asked as he and Lelouch walked through the small port town.

Suzaku had been to many port towns through his travels while he was still freeloading on Mother Earth. However, all the towns he went to were vibrant and loud, where trade and festivals happened all around. But that town, with its vandalized houses and rotten stench which polluted the air, was anything but welcoming.

To Suzaku's left, there was a person lying and sleeping on a piece of cardboard. Further down along the road there was a person who sat against the wall of an abandoned road, huddles under a thin, worn-out blanket. The few people who walked down the road all had the same expression on their face. It was the expression of the displaced and disposed. The town was the picture of depravity and poverty.

Lelouch saw the expression on Suzaku's face, and he felt the empathy oozing out of the people-loving Suzaku. Lelouch knew that Suzaku cared more about people than his own sense of justice, and that bringing him here was similar to bringing him to hell, but they had to pass through here to get to the next stage of their journey. Still, Lelouch felt that an explanation for the town's state was in order.

"It happened seven years ago" Lelouch began softly "After the internal strife in the Dragon Clan, they attacked this town, and a few others, in search for the treasure they had lost -"

"Treasure?" Suzaku asked.

"The town never recovered" Lelouch added.

"I hope this 'treasure' was worth it" Suzaku said. Lelouch clenched his fists.

It was ironic that Suzaku would ask such a thing; because this 'treasure' was the same thing that Suzaku was going on this journey for. Suzaku hoped to obtain the same 'treasure', but he did not realize it. It would be better, felt Lelouch, if Suzaku never realized this.

They continued to walk, down the small hill and past the many fishing boats anchored to the harbour. The silence between Lelouch and Suzaku was strained, with Suzaku not asking anything more and Lelouch not willing to say anything more.

They neared the end of the docks, where a slightly larger boat than the rest was anchored. It was in a slightly better condition than the other boats, only needing a bit of refurbishing and new sails to replace the torn ones.

"There" Lelouch said and they walked up to the boat. In front of the boat, stood two people and a third person sat in the middle.

Suzaku immediately knew that they were not locals. Except for the hopeless expression that was absent from their faces, they were wearing much better clothes as well. There was a young woman (girl?) sitting in the middle of two suited up men. She was dressed very formally in a kimono, with her hair hanging loose on her shoulders. She covered her face with a fan.

"The one in the middle is our next contact. She is an informant"

'An informant?' Suzaku wondered as he and Lelouch approached the ship 'Why would Lelouch know a shady person like that?'

When Suzaku and Lelouch were close, the two guards stepped in front the young woman for protection. Lelouch and Suzaku stopped a few feet away from them.

"State your business" the one asked in a gruff voice.

"It is I, Lelouch, and I have come to speak with the informant"

The young woman stiffened. The one suit wanted to say something more, but the young woman held out her hand to stop him.

"For what purpose do you want to speak with me?" she asked.

"I want a sword and a safe passage across the _Barren _Sea to the main Island." Lelouch said.

"You know my price, correct? You wish for something, you have to give me something in return"

Lelouch glanced at Suzaku behind him.

"Agreed. May we speak in private?" Lelouch asked.

"Very well" she said and stood. She signaled her one guard to watch Suzaku while her other guard followed her and Lelouch some distance away.

'More secrets' Suzaku thought in frustration 'More secrets that I'm not allowed to know. I don't like it at ALL'

.

.

"It's been a long time, Kaguya" Lelouch said as affectionately as he could.

The young woman chuckled behind her fan, before taking it down.

"I was surprised that it's you, Lelouch. The last time you asked for my help, you were a dragon…" she reminisced.

"Yes, well, I've come to you because I have a similar problem this time"

"Oh? I hope you have a piece of information your request as well then"

"There is"

"Do tell, then"

"The Pendragon Dragon Clan had captured Nunnally."

"And so? I am already aware of this."

Lelouch sighed before he continued.

"I suspect that the reason they did it is because they...'

.

.

Lelouch was standing with his back facing Suzaku. Suzaku could see that the informant was no longer covering her face, but because Lelouch was standing in front of her he couldn't see her face.

Whatever it was that Lelouch was telling Kaguya, Lelouch didn't want Suzaku to have any part of it. It frustrated Suzaku that this far into the journey, Lelouch would still not trust him enough to tell him certain things.

Lelouch bowed to the young woman, and she signaled something to the guard who was watching Suzaku.

The guard took Suzaku into one of the storage houses which had been converted into a sort of armory. The guard told Suzaku that he could pick out whatever sword he wanted.

Suzaku spent some time browsing through all the swords. He inspected the blade of each sword, but none of the swords felt right for him. There was one though, which stood out above all the rest. It had a light purple sheath with a golden dragon engraved into it. He drew the sword from its sheath. Its silver blade shimmered in the light. The sword felt light in Suzaku's hands when we swung it in precise arcs. The sword captured Suzaku in its haunting beauty.

"This one"

The guard looked at the sword for moment and nodded. He followed Suzaku out.

Suzaku saw that Lelouch was already waiting aboard the ship when Suzaku returned. The young woman stood at the bottom of the stairs which went up to the ship.

Suzaku bowed to her when he passed her, and she returned the gesture.

'This was the woman Lelouch had confided in. Lelouch told her something that Lelouch wouldn't even tell him.' Suzaku thought. Suzaku knew that it was necessary for their journey, but he felt that anything this woman was allowed to know, he could know as well. Suzaku looked up to Lelouch. Suzaku would no longer stand for being left out.

That night was the night the Suzaku was determined to get Lelouch to talk, no matter what it would take. Suzaku climbed up the stairs, and looked stared at Lelouch's back as he did so.

"Hey Lelouch" Suzaku said as he walked up to Lelouch. Suzaku had seen that the informant was busy talking to three buff-looking men. Suzaku took the chance to confront Lelouch.

"What did you tell that informant?" Suzaku asked Lelouch, who was standing at the rail of the boat.

"Nothing that concerns you" Lelouch said, not looking at Suzaku.

"What? How can it not concern me? It's got to have something to do with this journey, right?"

"This journey?" Lelouch repeated, grimacing. "Are you still after my sister? Is that why you are clinging onto the idea of 'this journey'?" Lelouch asked.

"Wha…?" Suzaku stayed silent for a moment. It was true, Suzaku had been thinking about his reason for being on this journey since the arrogant dragon turned into an even more arrogant human. Was he still on that journey because he wanted to marry a girl he had fallen in love with only in name, not in flesh? Or was it a more substantial reason than that? Something much closer related to him..?

"No, not so much anymore, probably" Suzaku admitted softly. Suzaku didn't miss the softest of sighs that escaped Lelouch's lips.

"Alright then. I'm letting you out of the deal"

"What? Why?"

"I have already provided a new sword for you, so what more do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything! I'm here on this journey because I want to be here!"

"Why? Why would you tie yourself to me like this?"

Suzaku grit his teeth.

"Don't get full of yourself; I'm not doing this for you!" Suzaku and Lelouch's eyes both widened as Suzaku spoke his words. "Shit…that's not what I…"

"Then what?" Lelouch asked softly "If it's not for my sister and not for me, then for who are you doing this?"

Suzaku fell into another fit of silence, clenching his fists.

"No, I only said that because it was in the heat of the moment" Suzaku explained. Lelouch neither accepted nor refuted his explanation.

"I'll give you one more chance. Why do you want to join me?"

"Since the beginning" Suzaku started, taking a step towards Lelouch "I promised that I would be your 'knight'." Another step; Suzaku was inches away from Lelouch. Suzaku's head hung in submission before he took a deep breath and looked up into Lelouch's eyes. "And I never go back on my promises. That's against my code of honor. So please, let me protect you" Suzaku pleaded with wide eyes, taking both of Lelouch's small hands into his larger ones.

"It's going to be difficult" Lelouch responded. It felt as if his heart had been twisted into an odd shape. It was painful. "It's going to be dangerous. From here on out, you cannot turn back, even when things get hard. When you feel as if it's unbearable, you will have to bear it. If you long for home know that you cannot return on a whim."

Suzaku clutched Lelouch's hands tighter, feeling that if he let go, Lelouch would have left him behind.

"I don't care if it's going to be difficult, and I'm not afraid of danger, or I never would have attacked a dragon's fortress in the first place." Suzaku laughed sheepishly.

Lelouch looked into Suzaku's eyes, and he couldn't say no. Lelouch wanted to remove his hands, but Suzaku's grip only tightened. Lelouch couldn't refuse Suzaku. Suzaku had earnestly broken through every one of Lelouch's arguments.

'_Why...why would you go this far for me? Or is it only for you?'_ Lelouch wondered, but did not ask aloud. Lelouch resigned with a sigh.

"Don't regret it"

Suzaku's face lit up. He was more relieved than words could express. Not knowing what to do with himself, Suzaku resorted to primal instincts. He threw his arms around Lelouch, holding him in a tight embrace.

"I won't, thank you!" he said.

Lelouch, surprised by the sudden attack, did not know what to do. He had lived most of his life as a dragon, so the sudden contact with another human made him feel uncomfortable. His arms hung awkwardly at his sides. Slowly, he moved his arms up and placed his hands on Suzaku's back. In response to this, Suzaku rested his head on Lelouch's shoulder.

The sudden action surprised Lelouch, and it didn't stop there. Lelouch felt how Suzaku turned his head on Lelouch's shoulder.

"I promise that I will protect you" Suzaku whispered into Lelouch's ear. The sudden hot breath against Lelouch's cold and sensitive ear caused Lelouch to jump. Lelouch wanted to be free of Suzaku's entrapment, but Suzaku only held on tighter. Lelouch had no choice but to clutch Suzaku's shirt.

"N-o a-ir" Lelouch breathed. When Suzaku didn't loosen his grip, Lelouch moved his head away from where it was pressed against Suzaku's shoulder, and demanded loudly "Loosen up you idiot! I can't breathe!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry" Suzaku apologized with a sheepish laugh, and moved away from Lelouch. The sudden loss of heat caused Lelouch to shiver. Suzaku laughed at Lelouch's pure reaction, causing Lelouch to blush.

Suzaku took Lelouch into his arms again and softly held him.

"You...you don't have to go this far" Lelouch said, but didn't struggle against Suzaku's grip. It bothered Lelouch that while he might be superior in mind, Suzaku was stronger in physical strength.

"Do you dislike it?" Suzaku asked, as if he had read Lelouch's mind.

"No, I wouldn't say dislike. It's just that I doubt that Knights would normally do this"

Suzaku laughed at this, and Lelouch felt how Suzaku's chest heaved against his face.

"If you don't dislike it then there's no problem. As your knight, I shall listen anything you ask"

At that, Lelouch stayed silent. They stayed liked that a bit longer, until a guard came to them with a blanket, saying that they should beware of the cold night that lay ahead. Suzaku gratefully accepted the blanket, without letting go of Lelouch.

"Set sail!"

At Kaguya's command, the sails unfurled and the boat rocked. The calm evening breeze filled the sails, urging it forward.

"Look" Lelouch said, and Suzaku lifted his head from where it was rested on Lelouch's. Suzaku first noticed the changing color of the sky before he looked at the sun setting over the western horizon; over their next destination. But Suzaku knew that _that_ was not what Lelouch wanted to show him. Suzaku looked in the opposite direction and saw that Lelouch was gazing at the town they had just left.

The town was bathed in a warm yellow light. There were no traces of the grey desolation that had been present earlier that day. The changing of the sky's light almost represented the change from the people's despair to hope. But that change was short-lived, as soon it got dark again. However, just as a cloud of hopelessness seemed to fall over the town again, the street lights lit up one by one. One by one fire in the houses were lit as well, simultaneous with the awakening of the stars. All the fishermen who were out at sea that day returned, along with the result of their hard work.

The people on board the ship spoke a great deal about the large amount of fish that had been caught that day. All the people, even the poor, would be invited to the town square. Soon a trace of the smoke trail could be seen rising above the town. All of the people would have food that night.

"It's a big change from earlier" Lelouch stated "Even the hopeless can regain hope, even if it's only for a little while, huh?"

"Yeah" Suzaku agreed. He finally loosened his grip on Lelouch and stepped away.

Lelouch was surprised at Suzaku's change in expression. Suzaku was like a hurricane; an unpredictable phenomenon, for Lelouch. Lelouch never knew what Suzaku would say next, what he would do next. And it intrigued him for reasons unknown. All that Lelouch knew was that he suddenly felt an urge to ask more, to know more.

.

.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Why would something be wrong?" Suzaku asked trying to sound cheerful but failing.

"No it's just you suddenly had this troubled expression on your face, so I just wondered what might be cause of such the sudden change."

"Oh? So you were paying attention to my face? Does that mean you like it?" Suzaku asked playfully.

"O-of course not!" Lelouch said, slightly flustered. Suzaku responded with another laugh.

"Ah don't say that, there's no need to hold back!"

"I am being serious on this matter here!" Lelouch said, turning away from Suzaku. Again, Suzaku just laughed. Lelouch suddenly felt the blanket being wrapped around him and Suzaku, who hugged him from behind.

"Thank you" Suzaku whispered.

"What for?"

"For being concerned about me"

"I-I wasn't really concerned"

"Then why ask?"

"..."

Suzaku chuckled softly, and they both sank and sat on the deck.

The close proximity of their bodies plus the blanket caused it to be stifling hot for Lelouch. Lelouch wasn't used to it so it still caused him to feel uncomfortable. Lelouch shifted a few times, but couldn't seem to find a comfortable position. Suzaku was also affected by the heat, but for him it had an opposite effect. The heat went to his head and caused him to mumble softly in his half-asleep state.

"A long time ago" Suzaku began "Me and my parents lived happily together in our little house. I would always go out to the woods and chop the wood, my mother would make a fire, and my father hunted. He always said I was too young to hunt" Suzaku chuckled.

Lelouch wondered why Suzaku suddenly told him this, but Suzaku didn't seem to know what he was doing himself, so Lelouch stayed quiet. This 'bedtime' story might have been what Lelouch wanted to hear.

"It was a simple life. I would always play with the other village kids. I was always 'the last samurai' and used a stick as my 'all powerful' sword"

'_Sounds like it was happy times'_ Lelouch thought to himself. There was a slight pause before Suzaku continued.

"Then it all changed 7 years ago. I went out to the woods to chop wood like always, when one of the village kids ran up to me, shouting that 'we are being attacked we are being attacked'. At first I thought 'you're joking, right?', but then I saw smoke rising from where the village was.

I ran back to the village, and saw that everything, everything was burning. I wanted to run away, but not without my parents. I ran through the village. Everything was burning; the wood planks that had been used to build the houses were strewn about.

When I reached the house, I saw that it was already on fire. By then I had probably lost all sense. I ran into the house, shouting 'mama!', 'papa!". Nothing. I went into their room and saw that the roof had caved in. Under the debris laid a body. I didn't want to believe it, but I noticed that indeed, it was my mother. She didn't respond when I called her. All around me I heard women and children screaming. I didn't know if it was in trauma, pain, or both. It was then that my father burst into the room, and after seeing what I had seen, he grabbed me by my hand and ran out. I didn't want to go; I didn't want to leave my mama."

Quietly and slowly, tears had begun to trail down Suzaku's cheeks.

"I don't know how far we ran, but I came to when my father suddenly stopped running. We were in the midst of a dark forest. I looked behind me and could see the red of the flames maliciously shining in the distance. 'Stay back' my father said. I looked to where he was looking and saw, through the trees, two glimmering dark eyes. It was the eyes of an enormous beast. It had wings, claws and a scaly tail."

"I didn't realize what it was then, but my father did. In a mad fit, my father attacked the beast, waving his sword about, but with one sweep of its claw, the beast sent my father crashing against a tree. My father slid down the tree, blood trail running down his forehead."

"I was terrified. The beast looked at me, only looked, before it flared its nostrils and turned away. With a flap of its wings, it took off. The wind caused by the wings caused me to fall."

"I don't know how long I sat there, but somehow I managed to regain the strength in my body and went to check on my father. He was still alive, but barely. I used the forest remedies my mother taught me and treated my father's wounds. I stayed with him, until he was better. When he regained consciousness and his strength, we walked back to the village."

"By then, the fire had died down, and everything was nothing but a pile of smoldering ash. The stench of death and decayed wood stained the air. I felt sick."

"My father went to our old house and retrieved what was left of my mother's charred body. We gave her a proper burial. We couldn't stay in that charred piece of land, so we left."

"My father was very weak; the damage to his head had been severe. He collapsed before we reached the following town. I used all my strength to carry him there. He never saw another village again. The town women were nice. They told me to stay. But I couldn't. I didn't have a place to call my own anymore."

"Seeing that port town in such a horrible state; it reminded me of those terrifying times. It reminded me of my village, which was in a much worse state. In fact, I'm jealous. You said they have hope, né Lelouch? That's true, isn't it? They have food, homes, light. How many times...have I wished...for that same hope...too?"

Suzaku ended before nodding off, his head falling on Lelouch shoulder.

Lelouch had gone completely stiff. He had been ever since he realized what day Suzaku was talking about. He had been there on that day as well. It was the day he fled with Nunnally from their father. He didn't known that he had been followed. The dragons that chased Lelouch demanded that they hand over Nunnally. When Lelouch refused, they tried to use a village as a bargaining chip. It didn't work, for Lelouch didn't care for that village at the time; the village in the middle of the woods...the village where Suzaku had lived.

Lelouch felt sick. It was because of him. It was his fault that Suzaku had not had a place to stay the past couple of years. The weight of Suzaku's head on Lelouch felt heavier than ever. Or was it the weight of Lelouch's own guilt that he was feeling?

Lelouch raked a hand through his hair. First Lelouch got Suzaku's village mixed up in everything, and somehow, the person so deeply affected by Lelouch's action, had gotten involved with Lelouch again.

Was god testing Lelouch? Was Fate playing a cruel joke on them, by tying the pinkies of him and Suzaku, who should resent him, together? Was it Destiny for Suzaku to be involved in the strife that first took his village and could possible now take his life?

Lelouch didn't want that. It was a miracle that Suzaku had survived that day, and Lelouch didn't want Suzaku to throw his life away. Lelouch would make sure that nothing bad will ever happen to Suzaku again. Lelouch didn't know how he would do it, but at least for that moment in time, keeping Suzaku nearby would be the best.

"I will protect you"

Lelouch whispered as he felt under the blankets for Suzaku's hands. He found it and squeezed it tightly within his own two hands, bringing it up to his chest. Lelouch clutched it tightly, before falling asleep.

.

.

It was early the next morning, the stars still taking their turns to disappear one by one, before Suzaku woke up to a strange feeling. It was like he was being showered in affection, and at the same time treated so gently. He looked to where his hands were being held close to a certain-former dragon's chest.

Suzaku vaguely remembered narrating his past. Was it in a dream or in real life? Judging from the remorseful expression on Lelouch's face, Suzaku determined that it probably happened in real life.

Suzaku wondered why Lelouch looked so guilt-ridden and sad though. There was nothing he could have done at the time, right? Nevertheless, Suzaku was very happy about the concern that showed on Lelouch's face. Suzaku felt all the more protective over the sleeping face that showed such honesty.

Suzaku felt like he may have found a place to belong. He hoped that, after this journey was over, that he could stay with Lelouch. As a friend or a knight, it didn't matter. Suzaku laughed softly and blushed a bit. He wondered where his thoughts were coming from, and although it was embarrassing thoughts, Suzaku wouldn't take them back or contradict them.

Suzaku managed to wriggle his hands loose from Lelouch's death grip without awakening the latter. Lelouch protested with a soft moan and shivered. Lelouch was cold. The blanket was covering most of Suzaku's- and only half of Lelouch's body. Suzaku gave an affectionate smile and took Lelouch into his arms. He placed Lelouch's head on his lap, and folded the blanket around the sleeping young man.

Suzaku knew that Lelouch would probably have a fit if he wakes up in this position, but Suzaku didn't mind. He couldn't let Lelouch catch a cold now, could he?

Suzaku then looked up at the sky. He followed the dark sky as it faded into the light blue that was brought about by the sun peeking its head over the horizon.

It was another day. Another day where Suzaku would give his all to protect Lelouch, and if Lelouch deems him worthy, will accept him as more than that. He hoped that someday, Lelouch would accept him as a friend as well.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, thank you, as always, for reading this chapter!

Special thank you shout out to reviewers **NessatheSinner, yuuram2fangirl **and **A Random Person** and **Ummm**,and a

normal thank you shout out **all** who favorited/followed my story.

From the next chapter, things are going to shift into fourth gear!

Thanks to **Icy-Kitty-117** for beta-ing


	8. Invitation into the Night

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Invitation into the Night

'_As the push and pull of the tides gently sways a boat from left to right,  
__So too does it represent the ebb and flow of emotions felt during the night.  
__Revelations occur during a time of darkness in knowledge,  
__Bringing the light of wisdom with it.  
__And because darkness always turns to light,  
__So shalt night turn to day.'_

Suzaku recalled his grandfather's poem as he watched the color of the sky turning from a somber blue to an orange-infused flamingo pink. Suzaku felt a stirring on his lap.

"Good morning, Lelouch" Suzaku greeted avidly.

"...? Good morning Suzaku" Lelouch answered in return, lifting his head slowly. It was when Lelouch looked up and saw how close Suzaku's face was that he realized how close they actually were. Lelouch noticed that his hand was resting on Suzaku's thigh. Lelouch immediately removed his hand and scuffled away, a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"I'm sorry; I must have fallen asleep in a very precarious position"

"No worries" Suzaku laughed "I fell asleep like that too, remember?"

"I'm sorry if I caused you any discomfort"

"Not at all" Suzaku said placating "More importantly, look Lelouch!" Suzaku said as he stood, pulling Lelouch up along with him. "It's the town"

And sure enough, Lelouch and Suzaku could see, from where they were standing on the stern of the ship, that they were closing in on their destination; the Port Town Agulhas of the Main Island Avalon.

The atmosphere of the town could be felt as far as the ship. Instead of small, hopeless and abandoned like the previous port town, Agulhas was much larger and seemed much more threatening and hostile. Everywhere in the streets thug-like groups of people sat gathered in a tight circles, or duos of armed men walked past the bustling shops, where people were constantly bartering for goods. Most of these trades resulted in violence.

Once the ship came to a standstill, the captain blew a horn. It was a bellowing sound, signaling all the people on board to leave the ship.

"Let's go, Suzaku" Lelouch said as he made his way to the stairs. Suzaku felt an ominous presence and insisted on taking the lead. Sure enough, when Suzaku and Lelouch reached the top of the stairs, they could see two people, a small girl and an adolescent man, waiting at the bottom of the ship's stairs.

Both of them looked up simultaneously, and by the way their expressions changed when they saw Lelouch, Suzaku could safely conclude that they had waited for him.

"Do you know them?" Suzaku asked.

"No" Lelouch, who had noticed the two strangers, answered "It's the first time I have seen them"

"They seem to know you" Suzaku retorted "But...how? Didn't you say that this method of travel was the safest and nobody would suspect it?" Suzaku questioned.

"It seems that I was wrong" Lelouch said, narrowing his eyes. Lelouch silently followed Suzaku down the stairs until they were in front of the two people.

The two people were regally dressed in tight-fitting Knight-like uniforms. Both of their uniforms were white with gold trims, frills and buttons. They both wore extravagant capes; the girl wore a fuchsia pink one and the man wore a dark green cape.

"Greetings, Sir Lelouch" the adolescent man greeted.

"State your name and business" Lelouch ordered bluntly.

"Of course, sire. I am Gino Weinberg, and this is Anna Alstreim. We are the Knight of Six and the Knight of Three of the Knights of the Round respectively" the man named Gino introduced himself and his female companion - who seemed dreadfully bored and uninterested in the current exchange.

"I see...and what do the Dragon Clan leader's personal guards want with me?"

"Our orders are to deliver this invitation to you." Gino said simple as he held out a sealed envelope to Lelouch.

Suzaku took the letter first and opened it, confirming that it was safe, before he handed it to Lelouch. The invitation read as follows:

'_**I invite you to attend a wonderful display of power in a special event of Pendragon's annual Battle Royale. It is a show that will leave you utterly speechless! It is in your best interest to come, if you value what is important to you. C. v. B.' **_It showed the date, place and time.

Lelouch was obviously being lured into a trap, but he couldn't take the idea of his sister being threatened lightly. **_'...if you value what is important to you'_**. Nunnally's fate was at stake, and Lelouch didn't want to deny such an open invitation to meet his _former_ father.

"Tell _him _that I have received his message and that I gladly accept his invitation" Lelouch said diplomatically.

"Heh, will do. Whether you and your comrade will actually make it alive or not is an entirely different story though" Gino smirked, throwing a teasing sideways glance at Suzaku.

"What did you say, you bastard?"

"Calm down, Suzaku"

"Are you threatening me, or insulting my abilities to protect Lelouch?"

"I'm not sure, both maybe?" Gino laughed.

"Easy Suzaku, they're not worth it, save your energy." Lelouch said, holding Suzaku back by holding his elbow.

"Come on, let's go, Anya. This has been a trifle errand" Gino said as he led Anya away.

"Hai" she drawled, attention never leaving the flip book in her hands.

He glanced over his shoulder one last time. "I look forward to seeing you again" Gino's laugh faded as he and his companion disappeared into he village crowd.

"Knights of the round, huh? How scary" Suzaku deadpanned.

"It's best not to become involved with them"

"What about them?" Suzaku asked as a band of 4 muscular and gruff men approached them.

Lelouch had noticed the band's presence ever since he first set foot on land. A hawk-eyed man led the group. Lelouch had felt the man intensely watching his exchanges with the two knights for some time. From the raging fumes Lelouch picked up, Lelouch was sure that the man didn't like the Knights.

Suzaku instinctively stepped in front of Lelouch when he came close, but Lelouch signaled Suzaku to stand down "We'll hear what they have to say" he said.

"May I see the invitation you just received?" the stern man, who Lelouch assumed was the leader, asked.

"May I ask your what you intend to do with this information?"

"Just say that we are...party crashers" he answered smoothly. The man's stoic face couldn't fool Lelouch. Lelouch could feel the blood lust and thirst for vengeance oozing out of the man. If Lelouch played his cards right, this man could become of great use to him.

Lelouch handed him the letter, and he took it with a stiff bow. The man skimmed through the contents of the letter. His already slanted eyes narrowed even more (if that was even possible) when he saw from whom the invitation was from. He handed it back to Lelouch.

"Thank you" he said.

"...And you are?" Lelouch asked.

"It's best you don't know, lest you want to get involved in battles that will envelope the entire Britannia Archipelago*.

The man left. His subordinates, the three gruff men and a woman fell into step behind him. They left Lelouch in a very unpleasant position; where information was being withheld from him. Lelouch looked towards the boat and saw that the informant Kaguya had already fallen in with the town's culture of battering. The people bartered for safe passage across the sea with their precious pieces of information.

After Kaguya nodded at a middle-aged woman, granting her passage, Lelouch approached her.

"Kaguya" he said

"Ah, Lelouch! Full of the island and want to leave already?" she asked playfully. Lelouch ignored her jest.

"Do you know those men?" he asked, nodding towards the retreating group. Kaguya looked past Lelouch at the five people he was talking about.

"I might" Kaguya said with a smile.

"Who are they?"

"I wonder...why don't you show me something interesting and I'll tell you what I know?"

Lelouch sighed and showed Kaguya the invitation he had received from the Dragon Leader.

"I see, how interesting indeed" Kaguya said and returned the letter to Lelouch.

"The leader of the group is known as Kyoshiro Tohdoh. He is also the leader of a Revolutionary Army who is planning to overthrow the monarchy some time soon. Apparently it has something to do with Britannia having destroyed their families and the heritage structures of their villages."

A 'Revolutionary army' was better than Lelouch had hoped. Such a grand force was just waiting for Lelouch to use them. And use them, Lelouch would. But not yet. The time for revolution was not yet ripe, and that Kyoshiro Tohdoh man knew it. Regardless of when, Tohdoh owed Lelouch a favor. And repay the favor, he will. Until then Lelouch would continue to let the group go down their destructive path of revenge

Lelouch thanked Kaguya and left, only then realizing that he was alone. He looked around, and noticed that Suzaku had disappeared. Lelouch became worried for a moment.

"Hey Lelouch!" Suzaku called from behind Lelouch.

"Suzaku! Where were you?" Lelouch asked, relieved that he didn't lose his Knight.

"I just went out to ask about the note on the letter. Didn't I tell you?"

"This is the first I have heard about it"

"Oh? The note suggested something about meeting up with a certain caravan at a specified time." Suzaku pointed to the said note. It was scribbled in the bottom left hand corner on the backside of the invitation.

'_That note is not suspicious...not suspicious at all'_ Lelouch thought sarcastically. It was obvious to him that someone added the note afterwards, and that someone was luring into a trap, but Lelouch didn't know by whom. _"Could it have been the Knights?" _he wondered.

"What did you find out about it?"

"Well, this nice old baker woman said that the caravan was a traveling caravan that passed through here every month with supplies, before returning to the capital. She said that the caravan arrived this morning and that they should leave before sunrise"

'_So it's a civilian caravan? The timing is just too good though...Are the Knights (or whoever is behind the note) seriously considering ambushing a civilian caravan just to get to him? Well, when looking at the clan and their aesthetics, that is not entirely outside the realm of possibilities."_

"Whoever added the note is probably luring us into a trap. Unfortunately, walking is out of the question because it would take too long..." Lelouch sighed. He was left with no other choices. He would have to join the caravan and hope that his suspicions about a possible ambush were wrong.

"We have no choice. Let's go" Lelouch said, and Suzaku fell into step behind him.

* * *

Despite trying to convince himself that the caravan would be safe, Lelouch was still uneasy about using such a public method to travel. Lelouch was constantly on the lookout for any signs of danger or doom.

From where he sat next to Lelouch, Suzaku could feel Lelouch's restlessness. Suzaku understood what Lelouch was so afraid of. Lelouch hated involving innocent lives in his fights. It was extra blood on his hands and a burden on his conscience; a burden that Lelouch did not want to carry with him.

Suzaku joined Lelouch in his lookout, thinking that it would put Lelouch a bit more at ease.

"Look Lelouch, do you see it?" Suzaku asked and looked up. Lelouch did the same.

"They sky has turned an orange-yellow color" Suzaku began "I wanted to show you the changing colors of the sky this morning, but I didn't want to wake you. I'm happy that I'm able to show it to you now"

"I see, it's beautiful" Lelouch agreed.

It's not like Lelouch had never seen the sun set before (although his castle was mostly always surrounded by darkness. However, that particular sunset was especially beautiful. They could only see a narrow strip of sky running parallel with the gravel road they were traveling on. The tops of the tall trees that surrounded them blocked out the rest of the sky.

Suzaku hoped that seeing the beautiful sky and hearing Suzaku's sentiments would help Lelouch to open up to Suzaku, but it seemed that it would be more difficult than that. The initiative once again fell to Suzaku.

"Ne Lelouch" Suzaku began, deciding that he would start with a simple question "Do you know the vi Britannia clan leader?"

"What brought that question on?" Lelouch asked, effectively keeping his even slightly shocked expression from showing.

"Well the leader of the vi Britannia clan personally sent you an invitation to an exclusive event, the second-in-command of the clan is the one who captured your sister, and you also know other important people too, like Princess Euphemia."

Lelouch stayed silent.

"Lelouch..." Suzaku tried again "When did you and Nunnally start living in that castle? Why are you living there in the first place?"

Once again, Lelouch answered nothing, but he did state something.

"Everything I have done, everything I do, and everything I am going to do is all for Nunnally's sake and for her protection only."

"And you are protecting her from the vi Britannia's? Why?"

"Enough!" Lelouch said, grinding his teeth. "Cease all this pointless que…"

Lelouch paused and sensed that a malicious force was approaching them.

"Suzaku!"

"Right!" Suzaku, who had sensed the malicious force as well, jumped up and drew his sword. As he did so, the blunt side of his sword deflected a blast that had been directly for them. Suzaku sent the greenish light blast spiraling into sky, exploding mid-air.

The shock waves of the explosion greatly unsettled the caravan. Birds flew away from their safe havens, ascending into the sky.

"Change route to BF-3!" Lelouch ordered the cart-driver. Lelouch thought that something like this might happen, so he made a back-up plan with the leader of the caravan beforehand. The driver responded with a nod.

"Everyone, follow me!" He shouted and took a right, moving in a north-eastern direction. All the others in the Caravan followed suit. Suzaku and Lelouch immediately took off in a western direction.

"He's following us!" Suzaku called from where he was running slightly behind Lelouch.

"I knew it! He must only be after us. That note was a set up for an ambush after all!"

"Fortunately he's leaving the caravan to do its job of transporting necessary supplies to the capital" Suzaku pointed out.

"Lucky for them, not so much for us. Keep a vigilant eye, Suzaku!"

"Hai!" Suzaku said as he saw many magic blasts heading their way. Suzaku wielded his newly attained sword with ease. It was lighter than anything he ever felt, and its blade was razor sharp. Sharp enough to slice through all the magic blasts.

One by one, Suzaku managed to deflect the barrage of magic blasts that came down on them.

The attacker, getting annoyed with his attacks failing, dramatically increased his attack speed. Still Suzaku was able to deflect them all. He wouldn't let a single blast go past him.

"Don't worry Lelouch, I'll protect you!" Suzaku called over his shoulder.

"What are you doing? Don't take your eyes of your enemy!" Lelouch called back.

"He's right" a voice said through the forest.

'Wha..?" Suzaku looked around to see a disk-like sphere about to hit him at point-blank range, just in time to use his sword to shield his face. Before Suzaku could sigh of relief, he felt something swish past him.

As if time had slowed down, Suzaku's eyes followed another disk-like sphere as it made its way towards Lelouch. Lelouch jumped out of the way just as the sphere hit the ground. The impact created a powerful wave that sent both Lelouch and Suzaku flying in opposite directions.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku called. Suzaku saw Lelouch struggling to his feet, and immediately scampered towards him. Suzaku halted his movements when large vines magically sprouted from the earth, completely entrapping him.

"Run Lelouch, I'll deal with this!" Suzaku shouted while he, with one swing of his sword, cut through a wall of vines.

"Idiot, I don't need you to tell me that!" Lelouch replied, and began running.

As Lelouch looked over his shoulder, he could see that after Suzaku cut down a wall of vines, another one immediately grew in its place. It seemed as if Suzaku would be busy for a while, but that was fine for Lelouch. Lelouch would lure the attacker away himself.

As Lelouch had hoped, the attacker left Suzaku and followed Lelouch.

* * *

'_I will lure you away...'_ Lelouch thought as he ran almost blindly through the forest. _'It is me you want, right? I won't let you harm Suzaku!' _Lelouch came to a stop when he found himself at the centre of a clearing in the forest. The moon, as if it was a spotlight, illuminated the clearing and the surrounding trees.

"Finally" the attacker said in a high-pitched voice. "I have caught up to you, master" it was a feminine voice.

Cautiously Lelouch turned his head. His eyes widened when he saw the familiar face in front of him.

"So it was you all along" Lelouch said to the smirking witch in front of him, the witch who he had met not that long ago "C.C."

"I'm so happy you remember me!" C.C. said sarcastically.

"It was you who added that note to the letter, wasn't it?" Lelouch stated "What do you plan on doing, ambushing me like this?"

"What a silly question, Lelouch! Aren't we both in the same boat?" C.C. asked. When Lelouch only raised a questioning eyebrow, she continued "Nunnally misses you, you know?"

His sister's name immediately caught Lelouch's attention.

"What does Nunnally have to do with this?"

"Why everything, Lelouch" C.C. drawled, as she floated in slow circles around Lelouch "Master vi Britannia invited you to a special event, right after he captured Nunnally. What do you think is going to happen in his special event?"

Lelouch's blood ran cold. _'It can't be...'_

"But it is" C.C. said.

'_What?' _Lelouch thought _'Did I say that aloud, or can this witch read my thoughts?' _

C.C. smirked evilly as she came around to face Lelouch in front again. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and slowly bent down, her face next to Lelouch's.

"If you don't want your fear of seven years ago to become a reality, you have to face it, alone. Leave your dog behind, and come to the palace, alone. Only with you there and you alone, will Nunnally be saved"

The witch's voice caused Lelouch to drift into a dumbfounded silence. Only a small part of Lelouch managed to resist the witch's charm from consuming him entirely. His inner voice of reason shouted out against the intrusive outsider.

C.C. sensed the mental barriers kicking into high gear, and withdrew. The seed had already been planted. Given enough time, it would bloom into the flower capable of fulfilling C.C.'s desires.

"I suggest you think wisely about your next course of action, and the sacrifices you are willing to make" C.C. said before twirling through conjured up mist and disappearing.

Suddenly alone again, Lelouch felt his mental control returning to him all at once, causing him to fall to his knees. A sharp pain shot through his head.

'_That damn witch...'_ Lelouch thought resentfully. Lelouch knew what he needed to do, but he could not yet wrap his throbbing mind around the resolve to go through with it.

* * *

"Lelouch, where are you?" Suzaku called as he ran in the direction that Lelouch went in earlier. After Lelouch had left, the attacker left as well. After a while, the vines disappeared too.

'_Why did the vines suddenly disappear?'_ Suzaku wondered _'Did something happen to you, Lelouch?'_

Before Suzaku's imagination could fly off to the worst-case scenario, he came to a dead stop when he saw a lone figure standing in the midst of an illuminated part of the forest. The slender build and dark hair of the person was unmistakable.

"Hey, Lelouch!" Suzaku called out. Lelouch didn't react.

"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked again once he stood in front of Lelouch. Lelouch just stared out in front of him. The light in his eyes was fading, his gaze lost in an infinite darkness that Suzaku couldn't see.

"Shit, I never should have left you alone!" Suzaku reprimanded himself as he pulled Lelouch into a tight hug. At the sudden contact, Lelouch snapped back to his senses, as if he had awoken from a bad dream.

"Suzaku?"

"Thank goodness!" Suzaku said as he pulled away. "You were really out of it for a moment! Are you okay?"

Lelouch paused, as if he was seriously considering Suzaku's question.

"I'm fine" he answered.

"Good. You find a nice place, hey? Let's rest here for the night" Suzaku said and led Lelouch to one of the trees. "I'll quickly make a fire, okay?"

Lelouch nodded his response.

Once the fire was ablaze, Suzaku went and sat next to Lelouch.

"So, want to tell me what happened?" Suzaku asked.

"Hmm" Lelouch said quietly "About your earlier questions…" Lelouch began, surprising Suzaku.

'_Eh, he's going to talk about that now?'_

"It happened seven years ago. My sister's power, the ability to make a hybrid like me turn into a dragon or human at will, flourished"

"A hybrid like you? Are there others?" Suzaku asked. Lelouch nodded.

"Everyone who is part of the vi Britannia clan are hybrids, and can turn into dragons"

"What? Then, does that mean you're - ?"

"That's right. I'm also part of the despicable Dragon Clan"

"Wait wait" Suzaku gestured wildly with his arms "So then that means that this Charles person, Princess Euphemia and her sister are..?"

"That's right. They're all my family"

Suzaku stayed quiet for a moment. "Why'd you leave them then?" he asked. Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"Charles, the leader of the vi Britannia clan and my father wanted to use my sister and exploit her power for his own good. However, if he forces my sister to turn everyone in the clan into their dragon forms, she would not survive it. That's why I had to stop _him._"

"I stirred the people of Pendragon into a frenzy, inciting a type of Civil war based on conflicting ideals. I used the war as a cover to escape with my sister. However, _he _discovered my plan and had me pursued."

"Do you understand now, Suzaku? Why he captured Nunnally?" Lelouch asked."It's because he wants to exploit her power. I will not let it happen. I refused to let it happen in the past, and I refuse to let it happen now." Lelouch finished off.

"Well then" Suzaku said "We'll tackle the capital tomorrow together, right?"

Instead of the immediate affirmation Suzaku expected, he received a doubtful silence.

"There's one last thing I have to tell you" Lelouch said solemnly. "Seven years ago, when your village was attacked...it was my fault"

"Eh…?" Suzaku asked, excitement faltering "What do you mean?"

"The pursuers my father sent after me caught up to me just as I flew over an isolated village in the forest. My pursuers demanded that I hand over Nunnally in exchange for the lives of the people in a village. One life for a hundred lives; the moral choice was simple, right? But my only concern was Nunnally, so I refused. You know what happened afterwards. That dragon you saw...was me"

Suzaku's eyes widened in disbelief and horror. He was at a loss for words. A bomb like that was not an easy thing to process. What disturbed Suzaku the most was his feelings. Or rather, that his feelings were absent. There was a certain numbness inside of him. The type of numbness that kills all other feelings, making it also impossible to think. Impossible to process. anything.

"Heh" Lelouch gave a sad, low laugh "You must despise me now" Lelouch said softly. but Suzaku heard it. "I think it is better for you not to become any more involved in this than you already are. That way, you won't get hurt by me and the Britannia clan anymore."

Suzaku felt something jerk his senses back to reality. Suzaku looked up. Lelouch's back was to him, and Lelouch was already a few steps away.

Suzaku wanted to shout, to scream, to say anything that would stop Lelouch, but no sounds would come out. Suzaku wanted to run after Lelouch, but his feet were firmly rooted in place. He wanted to move, wanted to go after Lelouch, but his body kept him rooted in place.

Was that Suzaku's true desire? Did Suzaku want Lelouch to leave?

Lelouch stopped, and for a moment, for Suzaku; the light of hope and reconciliation shone. However, just as quickly as it came, it vanished. It was but a flicker of hope that Suzaku had seen. A flicker of the last remaining embers among the ash of a burnt-out fire of passion.

"Farewell, Suzaku" said Lelouch, his figure becoming a mere silhouette as he went into the trees, into the darkness, and at last disappearing into the night.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, thank you for reading!

Please review and tell me what you think about where the story is going/ should go :-)

Special thank you shout out to **InsanePurpleLover**, **A Random Person**, **NessaTheSinner** and **Fic's Sly Lover.**

Normal thank you shout out to **all** those who read/ reviewed/ followed &amp; favorited the story! You guys know I appreciate it!

Beta'd by **Icy-Kitty-117, **sankyuu verry berry much!


	9. Divide and Search

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Divide and Search

"_The pursuers my father sent after me demanded that I hand over Nunnally in exchange for the lives of the people in a village we had flown over at the time. One life for a hundred lives; the moral choice was obvious. But my only concern was Nunnally, so I refused. You know what happened afterwards."_

.

.

"_Heh" Lelouch gave a sad, low laugh "You must despise me now" he said softly, "but I think it is better for you do not get anymore involved in this. Even if only because you don't want to get hurt by me and the vi Britannia clan anymore."_

.

.

"_Farewell, Suzaku"_

Lelouch's last words to Suzaku echoed in Lelouch's head as he made his way through the dimly moonlit forest. He arrived at the river which separated the forest from the Wetlands. Lelouch stared at the little spots of moon light that danced across the water's surface. Lelouch's thoughts wandered back to his earlier confrontation with Suzaku.

The image of Suzaku's distraught face, after Lelouch had revealed the truth to him, was burned into Lelouch's conscience. Every time the image involuntarily appeared at the front of Lelouch's mind, a pang shot through Lelouch's heart. It ached. Lelouch suspected that it was guilt, but there was something odd yet familiar about separating from Suzaku.

It was the type of sad longing that Lelouch had felt over the last few days every time he thought of Nunnally. Yet, at the same time, it was a different. It was a more intense feeling. Every time Lelouch thought about Nunnally, he thought critically about what would be the best and fastest way to save her. Lelouch never lost sight of his goal. With Suzaku, it was a whole different ball game. Every time Lelouch thought about Suzaku, his thoughts were jumbled. He couldn't make heads or tail of his thoughts. There was a certain feeling of desperation and sadness attached to it. For once, Lelouch was uncertain about his goal, and which path to take. A part of Lelouch pulled him towards Suzaku, yet another part of him wanted to stay away from him to protect him.

Which is why Lelouch found that he had arrived at the river once gain, after returning from the clearing for the umpteenth time. Lelouch had already come to a descision, but it was taking the first step towards that resolve that was ultimately more difficult than coming to the resolve itself.

* * *

"_Heh" Lelouch gave a sad, low laugh "You must despise me now" he said softly, "but I think it is better for you do not get anymore involved in this. Even if only because you don't want to get hurt by me and the vi Britannia clan anymore."_

_._

_._

_Suzaku wanted to shout, to scream, to say anything that would stop Lelouch, but no sounds would come out. Suzaku wanted to run after Lelouch, but his feet were rooted in place. He wanted to move, wanted to go after Lelouch, but his body kept him rooted in place._

_._

_._

"_Farewell, Suzaku"_

_Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared. It was but a flicker of hope that Suzaku had seen; a flicker of the last remaining embers among the ash of a burnt out fire of passion._

Again and again, Lelouch's words played over in Suzaku's head. It was as if his memories were a broken tape-recorder, stuck on his and Lelouch's last confrontation. Suzaku slammed the ground with his fists as he remembered his inability to move when Lelouch walked away from him.

Suzaku cursed and wondered why his body refused to move. To an extent, Suzaku could understand. After all, who wouldn't be shocked after hearing that a person they deeply care for was the one who wiped out everything they knew and loved? It was not an easy hurdle to get over. This could be why Suzaku was still kneeling in the same spot where Lelouch had left him.

Suzaku fell on his side, fireflies ascending all around him. He mused over his next move; should he go after Lelouch and try to talk everything out with him, maybe find some way to forgive him? Or should he return...wait; where would Suzaku return to? He doesn't have a home anymore and have traveled for the last 8 years. He could go back to travelling, but the prospect of that looked even bleaker.

An image of Lelouch's back appeared in Suzaku's head, but Suzaku pushed it out, searching for alternatives. Suzaku had been together with Lelouch almost permanently for the last few days, so imagining himself anywhere else was extremely difficult. No matter in which direction Suzaku looked, he would always see Lelouch's back, or even worse, Lelouch's apologetic and guilt-filled eyes. Suzaku rolled over to his other side, thinking of which town he could go to next, but again he only saw images of himself with Lelouch.

Suzaku felt tears hammering on the walls of his will, fighting for freedom. But Suzaku was resilient, at least for a while. His walls began to shake and with a sob, his walls broke.

Tears flowed down his cheeks as he remembered his family, then lying on top of a newly transformed Lelouch, his village on fire, to him flying through the sky with Lelouch, back to his weary father collapsed against a tree in the forest, followed by the face of the dark dragon, and finally a shot of Lelouch's despair filled eyes.

Suzaku tried to withhold the sobs, but his body kept shaking. Suzaku tried to control himself, and calm himself down, succeeding a bit. He didn't know how long he had lied in the same place. A wave of drowsiness came over Suzaku, and he drifted off into a seemingly deep sleep.

A rustling in the bushes brought Suzaku back before he could cross the lake to dreamland.

"Wait! I'm telling you to wait!" came an irritated voice.

"It is fine, we've waited long enough, let's go!" a more chirpy voice insisted.

"Shh, look he's still sleeping!" the other pointed out with a sigh, at which Suzaku opened one eye.

A blob of ginger clouded his vision, until his eyes began to focus and Suzaku could make out more; green eyes, cat ears, distinct hair colour and a lean body any swimmer would be jealous of.

"Wha? Shirley?" Suzaku asked and he sat up.

"See, I told you! Now you woke him up" the other voice came, a voice that belonged to the happy-go-lucky blue-haired Rivalz. The crane Sayaka stood behind Rivalz.

"You guys, what are you doing here?" Suzaku asked, his words a bit slurred but at least sensible. "Didn't Lelouch send you back to Milly?"

The question caught both of them by surprise. Rivalz shuffled his feet uncomfortably while Shirley stared at the ground, excavating it for inspiration, clearly having forgotten her many well-planned out and rehearsed excuses for suddenly appearing.

"Hah well about that" Shirley laughed nervously. She looked at Suzaku and saw him scrutinizing her. She buckled under the pressure.

"We did but I just wanted to see you and Lelouch again after you saved us you were so cool I love you guys and wanted to thank you so we came back, I guess?" Shirley fangirled at top speed without pausing to breathe.

Suzaku was not too happy about Shirley's declaration, in fact he was very saddened by it, for Lelouch was no longer with him and thus Shirley's desires could not become true.

Instead of admitting the truth, Suzaku looked away and stayed silent. Shirley noticed Suzaku's silence, and she knew why, but the reason was stupid because she already knew what Suzaku was trying to hide. The silence frustrated Shirley, and she gave in.

"Ahh Geez I'm sorry" Shirley started to say but Rivalz touched her shoulder and shook his head once and stepped forward.

"See the truth is we didn't go back to Milly. We waited for a day after you left and then followed you swiftly, until now." Rivalz explained, before coughing awkwardly "We also saw what happened...between you and Lelouch"

The statement caught Suzaku's attention, and Suzaku looked up at Rivalz, who gave him a sympathetic look.

"Is that so? I'm sorry you had to hear that" Suzaku said, slightly annoyed. He didn't like being eavesdropped on or being pitied; he had endured enough pity when had just started out on his journey. "Unfortunately, as you can see and probably already know, Lelouch isn't here anymore"

"Right, but that's why we came to you" Rivalz said, followed by Shirley.

"We want to help you find Lelouch"

"I don't need, or want, your help"

"Maybe you don't want our help, but what about Sayaka's?" Rivalz asked, pointing towards the crane behind him.

"What can she do?" Suzaku asked with a snort.

"She can track Lelouch's scent" Shirley pointed out.

"...What? How can she do that?"

"Yeah, I mean how do you think we found you? It's all thanks to Sayaka's nose!" Rivalz praised, fondly petting Sayaka.

"I see" Suzaku was careful not to seem too eager, but this was an ideal chance for Suzaku to find Lelouch and once and for all sort things out with him. He still had a mission to complete after all.

"Thank you, I will appreciate your help" Suzaku agreed, earning relieved cheers from his new companions.

"Alright, next stop: Pendragon!" Rivalz said, fist-pumping the air.

* * *

A soft wind was blowing as Lelouch made his way towards the clearing in the forest, trying not of think of Suzaku. It was difficult, because every time Lelouch heard the wind, he thought he heard Suzaku's voice. When Lelouch was relieved when reached the clearing, because he didn't have to worry about the fear or disappointment of meeting or not meeting Suzaku.

Lelouch looked around, and, the same as with his first two times at the clearing, the witch wasn't there. However, being a witch, Lelouch suspected that she had her eyes and ears everywhere, so if he called out to her, she might appear.

"Witch!" Lelouch called out to the night "Witch, C.C., I wish to speak with you" he called again.

At first nothing, then the echo of a sultry voice.

"I've been waiting for you, Lelouch" the voice purred "I hope you have come with a favorable answer" C.C. said before appearing in the wake of a bright green mist.

Lelouch closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before answering.

"I have decided to go to the capital and meet Charles, as he requested." C.C. looked pleased with Lelouch's answer, but he wasn't done yet. "On one condition" Lelouch said, causing C.C. to lift a perfectly formed eyebrow. "I get to meet with Nunnally first, and confirm her safety. Afterwards, if possible, I want to stay with her during Royale'"_ 'and hopefully return with her once the charade is finished'_ Lelouch added in his head.

"I knew you'd come around sooner or later, Lelouch-sama" the levitating C.C. laughed as a carriage drawn by two magnificent horses came to a stop before them. "But just in case you got cold feet, I brought some extra persuasion and reason"

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked, and the door of the carriage opened. A familiar person stepped out and a wave of memories unwillingly flooded Lelouch's mind.

_It was a peaceful time, before the Surge of the Dragon Clan and before Lelouch could see over the chess table without having two cushions propped up on the seat._

_Lelouch, who had recently began mastering the game of chess, was distraught after Schneizel threw his whole battle strategy into disarray with a single move._

"_Lelouch let me give you a piece of advice" Schneizel spoke up, noticing Lelouch's distress. Lelouch looked up at his older brother with expectation "Never reveal your emotions to your opponent, for they could use it to their advantage. "Even momentary hesitation can be used to strike you down" Schneizel said before he called checkmate._

"Schneizel" Lelouch greeted, stiffly nodding his head.

"It has been a long time, Lelouch"

"You truly are a witch" Lelouch commented, looking sideways at C.C and ignoring Schneizel's fond greeting.

"Oh Lelouch, flattery will get you nowhere" C.C. laughed.

"I see you are still bad with the women, little brother."

"Is it true that you were the one who stole Nunnally from me?" Lelouch asked, completely disregarding Schneizel's comment as unimportant.

"The same as always, I see. You would rather ask about the well-being of the little sister you have not seen in two days than that of the brother you have not seen in 8 years?"

"Of course. Nunnally's the only reason I am going along with this charade"

"Oh, a charade, you say? And what is it that you believe you can do against this 'charade'?"

"After I have met with _that ma_n, I will confirm Nunnally's safety and stay with her, protecting her until we can leave that wretched hell hole."

"You are the same as always. You still think you can go up against Father and his wishes? It seems that last time Father let you off too easily. Clearly being banished 8 years ago for disobedience did not teach you your lesson. The lesson, Lelouch, that you still need to learn, is to never disrespect your elders and go against their authority." Schneizel lectured "We will make sure to drive the message home this time during our special magic exhibition"

"I do not care about your little display of power. My only concern is Nunnally, and I will not let you misuse her, as you did in the past." Lelouch vowed.

"Oh Lelouch..." Schneizel started, as a mist of glitter descended from the air over Lelouch, surprising him. "Such big words from someone who thinks they have power, but in reality, have already lost everything."

"Wha?" Lelouch started coughing. _Sleeping power?_ Lelouch wondered, his vision going blurry before he collapsed on the ground. With his last bit of consciousness, Lelouch looked up at C.C., and saw that it was all her doing. "You witch! You have really outdone yourself this time" Lelouch's breathing became more strained "I will settle this with you later"

"Oh Lelouch, haven't I told you that flattery will get you nowhere?" C.C. asked with a pitying smile.

"Is sleeping powder not a magic too pure for a witch like you?" Schneizel asked their freeloading witch.

"That's right. Don't you think it makes me look more like a fairy?" C.C. agreed playfully.

"Nonsense. You are too far removed from the good and the righteous to ever become a true fairy, so do not fool yourself" Schneizel said, throwing the passed-out Lelouch's arm over his shoulder before carrying him into the carriage.

"True...what a shame. Well I'll be going on ahead" C.C. said, before flying out in front of the carriage, the carriage following soon after.

* * *

Sayaka flew through the forest, zigzagging her way through the trees.

"Fast! Too fast!" Rivalz shouted, holding on to the saddle for heaven and for earth, too bad that both were so far away at that moment.

"You sure Sayaka's going the right way? And that she won't get lost?" Suzaku asked, shouting over his shoulder at Rivalz.

"Like I said; we found you, didn't we? Just trust Sayaka's nose, man!" Rivalz insisted.

"Ah look, it's the capital!" Shirley exclaimed, pointing to the distance where the trees were starting to thin out. "I can see a part of the town!"

"Alright, we made it!" Rivalz cheered, bouncing up and down the saddle before becoming air sick again.

Suzaku wasn't as cheerful though, for he knew of the dangers that awaited them.

"I think we better land soon, it is better if we don't go into the town as we are" Suzaku said, piquing the interest of Sayaka and her two hybrid-animal companions.

"Eh why?" Shirley asked as Sayaka slowed down.

"Remember that time when Lelouch and I saved you from the sky palace?" Suzaku asked, and was answered with two nods. "Cornelia's knights were pursuing Lelouch at that time, but we were there with him so the knights probably saw our faces. If they see us now and recognize us, they will capture and interrogate us for information about Lelouch." Suzaku explained.

"Oh you're right. Those knights were really strong, and fast!" Rivalz recalled.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Shirley asked.

"I think it would probably be something that you are the best at out of all of us here, Shirley" Suzaku hinted.

"Something that I would be the best at?" Shirley echoed, the wheels turning at full speed in her mind, until it came to a certain point and a light bulb went off. "Ah!" Shirley said, having an eureka moment. "Leave it to me!" Shirley said.

Sayaka landed in a dense and rocky part of the forest, and upon contact with the mountainous area, Shirley jumped off excitedly and called back to them that she'd be back soon.

"What just happened?" Rivalz asked, not having followed Shirley's train of thought.

"You'll see, she'll be back soon" Suzaku said, amused with Shirley's excitement.

Suzaku may not have noticed it, but Rivalz could tell that Suzaku's mood had lightened ever since they had set out on finding Lelouch. Suzaku must have been really distraught after his and Lelouch's argument, but despite that Rivalz could see that Suzaku still cared and wanted to sort things out, and maybe reconcile, with Lelouch. Also, Rivalz secretly hoped that his and Shirley's presence had also helped Suzaku to unwind a bit. If that was true, it would have made Rivalz happy.

"Hey Suzaku, are you excited about meeting Lelouch again?" Rivalz asked, teasingly.

"What brought that about..?"

"I'm back!" Shirley called, waving as she ran up to them.

"Welcome back Shirley" Suzaku greeted casually.

"What the? That was really fast! How did you get that many clothes so fast? Weren't women suppose to normally take up to two hours per boutique?" Rivalz questioned, really surprised.

"Normally yes, but this was no normal shopping spree! This was for an emergency, and I don't know if you've ever paid enough attention to notice, but girls are especially fast when it comes to emergencies. Emergencies like emergency dates or important missions, like this one!" Shirley chirped.

"Thanks, good to know" Rivalz said as Shirley stuffed his clothes into his arms. He was growing really afraid of women's shopping power, emergency or not.

"And here, for you" Shirley said, handing Suzaku a set of matching garments "I think this will look really good on you!"

"Thank you. Well then, we'll go change then," Suzaku said, looking back at Shirley "seeing as you are already dressed"

"She is?" Rivalz asked, for the first time taking a good look at Shirley's clothes. She was wearing a maroon colored dress with a long-sleeved white linen shirt underneath. Over this she wore a light pink corset over her middle. The corset was tied together with old, worn-out leather strings. To top of the look and to hide her cat ears, She wore a leather hat, but the color was already starting to fade, showing a brown patch here and there.

"Oh wow" Rivalz drawled.

"You look really pretty" Suzaku said. Shirley was thankful but Suzaku caught the look of disappointment before she covered it up with her smile. "Or would you rather have me call you beautiful?" Suzaku asked.

"Eh..? No, you don't have to! Please, don't mind me! In any case, w-we should get a move on"

"Alright, we'll be back soon then." Suzaku said, and he and Rivalz disappeared into the trees.

Shirley berated herself for her earlier stuttering. Suzaku's compliment was so sudden that it surprised her more than it should have. But Shirley would remain strong. After all, she had become very taken with Lelouch after the valiant man and his companion saved them. Although this companion of Lelouch turned out to be an interesting person as well...Shirley had heard many fables regarding Lelouch, and from these stories it was clear that Lelouch would never trust someone so easily. Yet, from what Shirley had heard and seen herself, it sounded as if Suzaku waltzed into Lelouch's life and had breezed through ever since. He might not show it, but Shirley noticed how Suzaku's anxiousness from the argument progressed into hope of reconciliation. It was truly wonderful, ans Shirley was happy if she had even a had a small influence on this progression.

Rivalz returned, fully clothed in a faded-brown tunic, belted with a rather thick leather belt. The trousers loosely fitted Rivalz. "Nice choice, although you kind of got the trousers wrong" he complained.

"It should be that way!" Shirley said as she threw Rivalz a loaf.

"What is this?" Rivalz asked, looking at the loaf as if it was an exotic article.

"Your prop" Shirley explained cheerily. "You're our bread-seller! So better get into character soon. We'll be counting on you, Mr. Bakerman" Shirley winked.

"And my role?" Asked Suzaku, coming up to them from behind.

"It should already be clear! You're the - " Shirley said, spun around before the appearance of the man before her cut off her sentence " - knight" Shirley finished in a daze.

Suzaku was the model image of a medieval knight, clothed in linen, an arming coat, wooden stockings, closed shoes, and a robe conveniently embroidered with the Dragon clan's coat of arms. Everything was in colors of blue, white and gold.

"I knew it would look perfect! It will definitely look good for tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Suzaku questioned.

"This" Shirley said, and held a flyer out for Suzaku to read. "It was posted up all over the town"

**ROYAL ANNOUNCEMENT**

**Our humble kingdom welcomes the return of two of our lost kin!**

**Join us as we celebrate this glorious occasion with a special event of Pendragon's Annual Battle Royale!  
**

**This show will feature magic thought to be extinct in a wonderful display of power, and is not to be missed!**

**Festivities start tomorrow.**

**All Hail Britannia!**

"Rather flamboyant with their word choice, wouldn't you say?" Rivalz commented.

"Shit" Suzaku cursed under his breath. "This is what I was afraid of. Two of their lost kin? Tomorrow? Does that mean that they already have Lelouch? And if they do, will he also be partaking in this 'special event'?" _'and_ _if he is fighting, _will_ he_ be_ fighting alone?' _Suzaku wondered frantically, going through all the worst case scenarios in his head.

"I don't know, but it's no use sitting here and contemplating it." Shirley urged.

"You're right" Suzaku agreed "We'll need to somehow become a part of this circus performance and stop the charade"

"We can sell buns in the stands?" Rivalz suggested, holding up his loaf of bread.

"You can, but I don't intend to be just another spectator. I'm going to go into the village and see if I can find a way to enter and become part of this 'Battle Royale'." Suzaku said.

"That outfit will definitely help, I knew it was be a good choice! Good job, me!" Shirley congratulated herself.

"Right. Thank you, Shirley. Well, I'll be going on ahead then." Suzaku started and charged toward the village.

"Wait!" Rivalz called after Suzaku, who was already too far away. "What are we going to do about Sayaka?" Rivalz asked.

Shirley looked up at Sayaka in thought.

"We can send Sayaka back to Milly with a message saying that we are okay. 'Okay' for now anyway…" Shirley added.

"Good idea. Would you mind Sayaka?" Rivalz asked.

Sayaka shook her head, and soon was flying off with the letter attached to her saddle.

"Alright, let's go and catch up with our wannabee knight" Rivalz said as he started in the direction of the town.

"Wait, I'm the one who knows the town best, if we follow you we're never going to find Suzaku anyway!" Shirley protested, hot on Rivalz's heels.

A Pair of eyes followed the two hybrid animals as they rushed toward the village. The cloaked man had been out on a mission scouting the villages, but got bored so he went into forest. _'Who knew boredom could yield such productive results?'_

'_But never mind that. I need to report my findings to the boss soon, otherwise it will be too late and this would have all been for nothing!'_

The man came out from his hiding place between the leaves, and jumped from branch to branch towards the village.

* * *

"Yo boss" A man named Tamaki said as he walked into the temporary base of his resistance group. It was an old abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the village, where only the poor lived and the rich feared to tread. "Anything new on the movements of those royal bastards?"

"Nothing yet" Tohdoh, his boss, said as he took a smoke of his cigar.

"Damn, we know that something going to go down, but we don't know what!" Tamaki said, frustrated.

"Calm down, Tamaki" Ohgi, his superior by one rank, said as he came up from behind. Ohgi saluted Tohdoh. "One of our scouts has returned, and he says that he has come with some useful information"

Tohdoh nodded in recognition, and Ohgi signalled the scout to come in.

"Oh Sugiyama!" Tamaki greeted excitedly, but was completely ignored by Sugiyama.

"Sir!" Sugiyama saluted "Suzaku and his two companions are in the capital. However, Lelouch is not with them. It appears that he is with the Clan and, according to Suzaku, will most likely appear in tomorrow's festivities. What role he plays is unknown, though"

"I see" Tohdoh said. _'So Suzaku had separated from Lelouch, and now Suzaku has two new companions?' _he surmised. "What will the white knights next move be?"

"His companions and him have obtained disguises, and Suzaku plans to use his to get into the Battle Royale"

"So he intends to fight?" Tohdoh deduced "Interesting, I think we should join them."

"Sir?"

"Sugiyama. Follow Suzaku and find out how he intends to get into the Battle Royale, and if he succeeds, report to me."

"Yes sir!"

"Ohgi, once we know which plan is a success, I will leave it to you to execute efficiently."

"Understood."

"And Tamaki…" Tohdoh addressed his unruly soldier "I need you to be on standby for shopping duty."

"Roger! Wait WHAT?" Tamaki said "Why the hell should I do that? Ask Inoue, it's her kind of job anyway!"

"Now Tamaki, we do not stereotype in this resistance group. Besides, you have impeccable fashion sense. I have seen it."

"WHA?" Tamaki wanted to shout, blushing slightly. "That's so unfair!"

"Alright, now that you all have your order, go!" Tohdoh ordered.

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison and set out to carry out their orders, albeit some reluctantly.

'_Suzaku'_ Tohdoh thought, addressing Suzaku as if the youth was standing before him _'I cannot believe that you, a knight, have become separated from your lord. How foolish. If you're going to separate with your lord only to be heroic and save him later on, then it is better to not get separated from him in the first place'_

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you did drop me a review ;)

Special thank you shout out to reviewers: **A Random Person**, **InsanePurpleLove,** **NessatheSinner** &amp; **Deidara4ever **and a

Normal thank you shout out to **all** those who favorited/followed, you are the butter to my bread, the jelly to my peanut butter! XD

See ya!

Hasuki-chan


	10. Prelude to Madness

**Disclaimer:** I do not and never will own Code Geass.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Prelude to Madness

Luscious green leaves were slowly replaced by bright and shining crystal ones as Sayoko neared Milly's lair. She had reached the Crystal Forest in record time, despite the responsibility of being the bearer of such important news weighing heavily on her neck.

Once Sayoko saw the tranquil stream that was the life force of the forest, she knew she was close to home. It wasn't long before she reached the Mother Tree; Milly's lair.

"I'm home!" Sayoko called as she landed at the hallow tree's entrance.

"Oh Sayoko and…" Milly wanted to greet before realizing that it was only Sayoko "Where are your friends? Why are you alone?"

"Regarding that, I have an important - "

"ENCHANTRESS!" they heard a furious shout from above. Milly sighed as she looked up.

"What is it this time?" Milly asked, slightly annoyed. She looked up and saw Kallen, the Crimson Dragon, coming at her from above.

"Do not feign ignorance! You know well why I am here! I want you to return my Guren Gem to me!"

"Ah yes, it the same reason as last week. I thought you have learnt your lesson by now"

"Do not get ahead of yourself; I have become much more powerful than before!" Kallen defended herself as she charged her power within her mouth before releasing a powerful fire breath.

"Sayoko!" Milly called and Sayoko instantly picked her up, dodging the fire onslaught just in time. Sayoko took to the sky, ascending until she reached an altitude just a little higher than that of the fuming crimson dragon. "Take me closer!"

"Yes ma'am!" Sayoko said, afraid but willing to trust her leader. As soon as Sayoko reached a close enough distance, Milly twirled her staff and swept it across the air, invoking a magic circle.

"Mirror reflection!" Milly called, surrounding Kallen from all sides with mirrors, caging her within her own reflections. Kallen was temporarily fazed, not knowing where to look. She quickly regained her focus though, and invoked all her magic into a great burst of fire magic from her tail, shattering the glass that surrounded her.

It was no use, as a magic circle still hovered beneath Kallen. She cursed and looked up. It was just in time to see Sayoko, with Milly onboard coming at her from above.

"Caught you" Milly said, leaping from Sayoko while spinning her staff above her head, charging it with magic power. With a wink the Enchantress pierced Kallen's wing with the tip of her spear, crystallizing both wings. With practiced eased Milly dropped back into Sayoko's saddle.

"_Darn, a misstep!' _Kallen cursed as she felt her wings hardening, making it more and more difficult to stay a flight. Not being able to move her wings, she tumbled through the branches of the crystal trees. She landed on the floor with a hard thump.

"Okay, now that that's over we can continue where we left off" Milly said, taking out the letter and reading it.

"Right" Sayoko agreed.

"Talking so casually in the presence of an enemy, don't look down on me!" Kallen snapped, trying to free her wings but it is in vain. She tried to release a fire breath, but it came out as nothing more than mere puffs.

"What? Lelouch will be taking part in the Battle Royale at Pendragon tomorrow?" Milly exclaimed "We need to help him!"

"Shh!" Sayoko shushed Milly "I know we need to help Lelouch, but what good will it do if we alert another enemy of his presence?" Sayoko said, discreetly pointing to the Dragon behind them, who perked its ears.

"Oh right, but Sayoko, I will not able to go and help. I have my hands full here." Milly explained apologetically. Kallen was really interested, now.

"I can't either, not after two days' worth of heavy travel!" Kallen's tail began to wag excitedly like that of a dog.

"Hmm if only we had someone who could go for ~us" Milly drawled. Kallen could not contain her excitement any longer.

"I'll go!" Kallen offered.

"What?" Sayoko asked, incredulous. "Why should we trust you; you who will the first chance you get to kill him!"

"Of course, but before I can have my revenge on him, I have to make sure that nobody else gets to him first, am I right?"

"Good answer. Alright, you can go, but only after you show that you can free yourself" Milly set the condition.

"That's a simple task!" Kallen said as she charged magic into her wings. With a burst of energy flames erupted from her wings, thereby freeing her, and lifting her off into the sky.

"Wait for me, Enchantress! As soon as I have dealt with Lelouch, you're next!" Kallen called over her shoulder before heading in the direction of the capital.

"Eh is that okay, ma'am? Isn't she going to go after Lelouch and the others now?" Sayoko questioned.

"It's fine, since that persistent creature finally left. Lelouch might as well be our diversion for once, wouldn't you say?"

"No ma'am, not really. I do owe a lot to them, after all. I don't want them to be hurt"

"Don't worry; they're big boys who can take care of themselves."

'_At least, I think so' _Milly thought_. _She could only hope that Lelouch and Nunnally would reach their home safely once more. _'Save your sister, Lelouch! I did not lend you one of my best cranes just for you to return empty-handed!"_

* * *

Many stars already donned the night sky when the carriage arrived at the Castle's front courtyard. The moon's light outlined every curve of every petal, and it accentuated the sharp edge of every blade of grass. The castle garden at night truly was something to behold.

Schneizel thought that it was a pity that Lelouch was missing it, since he was still asleep due to C.C.'s potent sleeping powder. Lelouch would only see the garden in the morning, when its presentation would be fit to impress the forty hundred spectators that will adorn the castle grounds, but that is also only if Lelouch is lucky.

"Should I arrange for someone to take him to a guest room, sir?" the coach man asked.

'_Oh that's right'_ Schneizel remembered _'None of the staff working in the castle worked here eight years ago, so it's not surprising that they do not recognize the exiled prince'_

"No, that is not necessary. I shall escort him to his room" Schneizel answered charmingly.

"As you wish, sire" the coachman said with a bow, standing back for Schneizel to step out.

Once outside, Schneizel turned back to the carriage and scooped the sleeping man into his arms, princess-carrying him into the castle. Most of the castle's household and staff had already retreated to their private quarters, so the halls were empty. The further Schneizel moved into the Castle, the darker and more desolate it grew. In the easternmost hall in the castle, Schneizel came to a stop in front of a door on his left side.

Schneizel shifted Lelouch's weight in his arms so that it appeared as if Schneizel was holding a child,

'_Lelouch had grown so thin. He must have lost a lot of weight while in exile. Not that he was a plump boy to begin with. Poor little brother. He had probably not eaten a passable meal in over eight years, let alone a King's meal.'_ Schneizel thought concerned. Using his now free hand, Schneizel opened the door.

Inside the room a white cloth covered everything. The moon's light shone through the window, creating a rectangular spotlight on the dusty mat. Schneizel made his way towards the bed and placed Lelouch on the bed. Schneizel stood for a moment, just looking at his sleeping younger brother.

"Oh Lelouch…" Schneizel sighed, brushing Lelouch's unruly dark locks out of his face. "Why did you have to rebel all those years ago? If you had stayed here, older brother could have protected you. Indeed, I cannot ignore the fact that I also was at fault" he whispered "I, as your older brother, should have known what these past eight years would do to you, and I should not have allowed you go." Schneizel stepped back from the bed, and moved on to the window.

"However," Schneizel continued "We, as Royals of the Dragon Clan Britannia, cannot go against Father's wishes without facing the consequences." he placed a small bouquet of violet irises in a delicate vase on the window sill. "Hopefully you would have learned your lesson by tomorrow, and not make trouble for Father again." Schneizel went to the bed once more.

"May your rebellious spirit and independent soul finally be laid to rest tomorrow; not only for your sake, but for our that of your adorable little sister as well." Schneizel affectionately brushed Lelouch's forehead with his own "Tomorrow we are enemies, Lelouch. So sleep tight, my younger brother, for it might be your last" he said with a soft kiss to Lelouch's forehead. Schneizel left the room, and glanced back once, before closing the door and locking it.

"Welcome home, Lelouch"

* * *

"Why are we so few guarding the barracks tonight? Sure the festival is tomorrow and I understand that the guards have to hone their energy, but still!" the guard complained.

"It is true what you said there, my friend." A voice from behind agreed. "They are suppose to be especially vigilant on nights such as these"

"Right? I'm glad someone understands" the guard said happily and turned around to face the newcomer. His eyes widened when he saw the one who addressed him. "You! How?" but it was too late. Something hard hit the guard against his head from behind and he collapsed.

"Sorry, but I sneaked in with this disguise. Who knew it would be so effective?" Suzaku said, pleased with the result of his infiltration. He rummaged through the knocked out guard's clothes until he found what he came for; an identification badge. The exquisite engraving on the gold-colored metal was so incredibly gaudy that it could have only been from that of an egotistical narcissist royal family.

Suzaku tied up the guard up and threw him into one of the warehouse's abandoned rooms. He closed the door and locked it, thinking that after all the excitement is over, Suzaku would come and free the poor man.

Unbeknownst to Suzaku, Sugiyama of Tohdoh's troops saw what he had done, and immediately left, travelling in the shadows of the night until he reached Ohgi. Ohgi was waiting in the bustling night square, casually observing the people.

"Sir!" Sugiyama discreetly saluted. Ohgi's thoughts were clearly somewhere else, as he jumped when Sugiyama suddenly appeared. "What is with that jumpy reaction? Ah, don't tell me? You were thinking of your lovely mistress back home, weren't you?"

"W-wh-what are yous talked a-b-b-out?" Ohgi stuttered incomprehensibly.

"That reaction totally gives everything away! I don't blame you though...that Viletta woman with the teal hair and yellow eyes is the stuff that makes up men's dreams.

"Stop it immediately!" Ohgi ordered "You're beginning to sound like Tamaki, and no matter how you look at it, that is _not_ a compliment! Now, what news do you bring me?" Sugiyama explained how Suzaku used an old guard uniform to sneak into the barracks and steal one of the guards identification badge. Sugiyama surmised that Suzaku would use that badge to infiltrate the Battle Royale tomorrow.

"I see, thank you for your good work, Sugiyama" Ohgi thanked before he pulled out his walkie-talkie and paged Tamaki.

"Yo, Tamaki here, over" Tamaki responded, in between chewing bites of food.

"Tamaki, don't tell me you men are still at the corn dog stand?! Over"

"Oh, Ohgi-sir! You've got to admit though that you don't get this kind of food around here. It's super rare! Over"

"Whatever you say. Sugiyama just got back to me. We need old guard uniforms and identification badges, you can do that, right? Over"

"Who do you think you're talking to? I am the great Tama...Oi wait! Identification badges? Where the hell do I get that? Over"

"Suzaku infiltrated the barracks where the guards sleep at night. You can ambush a few guards there, just make sure you deal with them properly, so that they don't cause problems for us at a later stage. Over"

"Hoh sounds like my kind of job! Leave it me! Over"

"We're counting on you Tamaki, don't screw this up. Over"

"Yeah yeah, Over" Tamaki drawled, before finishing the last bit of his fifth corn dog. "Alright, fellow b*stards! We're moving out!" Tamaki bellowed.

"Shh. Not so loud, sir!" one of Tamaki's men whispered.

"Oops, my bad" Tamaki apologized, and he and his nine men left in the direction of the barracks.

Between breaking into boutiques and stealing uniforms from the men themselves, Tamaki chose the method that he believed was "less troublesome' and not bothering to find which act was 'the lesser of the two evils according to the eyes of the law". Besides, Tamaki could never steal from a woman, or at least that's what he always likes to say.

Tamaki and his men easily infiltrated the barracks. Separating, they all acquired uniforms and identification badges in different ways. Some stole from the guards on duty, and others stole through more ambitious means. For example Tamaki; he shamelessly infiltrated the men's rooms and stole from there.

It took longer than Tamaki would have liked, but they had to keep Tohdoh and the others in mind. So in the end, they robbed twenty men of their clothes and badges, and locked them up all over the estate. Afterwards, Tamaki and co. returned to the base with the goods.

* * *

"_Big brother" a small, feminine voice called._

"_Nunnally?" Lelouch called out. He thought he had heard his sister call him, but it was too dark and misty, Lelouch couldn't see anything._

"_Big brother" the voice called again, more urgently._

"_Nunnally, where are you, I can't see you!" Lelouch called out again, also more urgently this time. He looked up, down and sideways, but couldn't see anything in the darkness._

"_Big brother!" the voice practically screamed. Lelouch spun around and stared straight into the eyes of a horrendous beast with dark , red eyes. Right before the hideous beast sat his sister, chained to the ground. "Please...save me…" the horrendous beast opened its mouth around her and -_

"Nunnally!" Lelouch shouted, sitting upright with his hand stretched out before him. Droplets of sweat dropped of his chin. "A nightmare" Lelouch breathed, clenched his fists. The image of that beast and Nunnally was still fresh in Lelouch's mind, but he could not afford to be rattled. There was something that had to be done, after all.

Lelouch looked around him. White covered everything. Even so it only took Lelouch a moment to recognise his old room.

'_So I'm back at the castle, huh?'_ Lelouch thought angry*, looking at the large window. The white satin curtains stirred as a soft wind blew through the window. The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the room. _'Being forced to come here against my will...that man hasn't change'_ Lelouch thought in disgust._ 'However, I would have come here anyway. But leaving me alone like this? The old man must be losing his touch'_ he thought, looking around to confirm that he was alone _'Though I must thank him for placing me in such ideal position_' Lelouch stood up from the bed and made his way towards the window.

Looking out of the window, Lelouch could see the most guarded tower of the castle. It was where Nunnally always stayed when they were children, after all. It was why Lelouch chose this room. It was the one room in the castle from where he could watch over Nunnally the best. Lelouch could feel that that was where they were holding his younger sister. While thinking about how atrocious it was to keep a girl under lock and key, Lelouch unconsciously moved his hand across the window sill until it tapped something.

Snapping out of his contemplation, Lelouch looked down at his hand and saw a vase filled with a bouquet of flowers. Violet flowers. The colour immediately sparked an unpleasant feeling in Lelouch. The violet flower bathing in the light of the full moon was so similar to how his mother looked that night.. For some reason Lelouch couldn't pull his eyes away. No matter how Lelouch tried to fight back, the images of that night kept appearing in his head.

The pull of his memories on Lelouch's consciousness were too strong, and soon images of that man's face reappeared in Lelouch's mind over and over, sparking a chain reaction of memories.

_Geass transferred into a still 5-year old Nunnally after leaving Lelouch's mother dead in the wake of its hunger for power. That man issuing an order. Doors slamming. Nunnally resisted before being pulled along mercilessly. A slightly older boy, Lelouch, run after her. The bright colours, lively music and cheerful decoration bringing about excitement, anticipation and celebration. Lelouch stood among a crowd, shouting and pulling, trying to get someone's attention to help. All of the adults, even Lelouch's own brothers and sisters turned their backs on him. Lelouch was alone among a crowd. _

_Lelouch desperately shouts for help and it mixes in with Nunnally's screams, her eyes aglow. Former humans twisted and morphed into unrecognizable forms before transforming into the large, hideous creatures; dragons, all dancing like the denizens of the underworld, all turning on Lelouch and Nunnally with all the malicious intent of predators looking down on their prey - _

"No, stay back!" Lelouch shouted, swinging his arm protectively out in front of him, knocking the vase off of the window sill. The vase fell and petals scattered. Lelouch stumbled back before falling. He looked at his hand, and saw red. He looked around him and saw that an even darker crimson stained all the petals.

Lelouch felt his sanity slipping, but he couldn't let go, not if didn't want what happened eight years ago to happen again. Lelouch looked up at the tower once more, remembering his sister and strengthening his resolve.

'_I have to get to Nunnally! I have to save her, or else…!' _Lelouch thought as he clambered towards the door.

Lelouch only had thoughts of saving Nunnally on his mind when he opened the door. It was unavoidable that his one hundred thoughts per second train came to an immediate halt when he saw C.C. suddenly standing at the entrance way of the door.

"C.C.?" Lelouch asked surprised, looking at the green-haired witch.

"What on dear Avalon could you be making such a ruckus for? You're going to wake up all of your neighbours" C.C. said, inviting herself into the room.

"Ha you're a riot" Lelouch said, still standing at the door. "I know that I'm the only one who is staying in this hall of the castle. Most of the people of the household felt that the closer their quarters were to the central throne hall, the more important they were."

"Well, nothing's much changed about that since you left, and now you're back in this room." C.C. said, taking a bite of pepperoni pizza.

"Of course, it is from this room that I have the best view over the tower Nunnally is being held in"

"Everything is for Nunnally's sake" C.C. summarized. Lelouch was a bit surprised at C.C.'s comment. He saw her making herself comfortable on one of the sofas, and grew slightly annoyed.

"If you understand then you wouldn't mind if I left now, right?" Lelouch said, wanting to leave the room. With a twirl of her finger C.C. closed the door and sealed it with a spell. "I saw that there was no guards outside. Don't you think you were a bit too lax with security?"

"Come now, Lelouch, do you think that I do not know the properties of my own magic spell?"

"Magic spell?"

"That's right. Back at the clearing in the forest, I used a spell to make you come along quietly. I know that my spell is only effective for a certain amount of hours, so I came here when I knew my spell would wear off" C.C. explained lazily.

"Your estimation is a bit inaccurate then, for I have been awake for a while now" Lelouch said.

"Yes well, I had to wait for the pizza to finish baking in the oven. Otherwise I would have been here sooner."

"Could a normal guard not have been just as effective? Why did they send you here?"

"I offered to come here. Naturally they allowed me to, for what better way to contain you with than magic? It be much more effective than a shield and sword, I'd say" C.C. quipped.

"Why would you want to guard me?" Lelouch asked, genuinely puzzled. He could not figure out that woman's motives. C.C. grew quiet, pausing between bites of pizza. She resumed then a split-second later, but it was long enough for Lelouch to notice the pause.

"Do you want a slice of pizza?" she asked casually

"Don't change the subject! I doubt that someone like you would ever share their pizza with any one anyway!" Lelouch pointed out.

"That is too bad. Here I thought I could get you to eat this pizza slice which I spiked with sleeping powder especially for you. Now I have to stay here and personally keep guard over you myself!" C.C. whined sarcastically.

"Enough joking around. I know that's not the real reason"

"Not the only 'real reason' anyway" she said, placing the pizza box on the coffee table. Lelouch went and stood at the other side of the coffee table. He crossed his arms around his chest and waited for C.C. to continue. "The matter concerns your dear little sister…"

* * *

The cool wind of the early morning hours blew through Suzaku's hair as he reclined against one of the cabin's walls. It wasn't long before he and a few other men in the housing area would move out to the castle for guard duty. Putting his hand in his pocket, Suzaku looked up at the many stars donning the night sky. It was so similar to that night.

_I think it is better for you not to become more involved in this. Even if only because you don't want to get hurt by me and the vi Britannia clan anymore." _Suzaku remembered Lelouch's words to him that night.

"That selfish bast*rd" Suzaku grumbled under his breath. After trying but failing many times not to think about Lelouch , Suzaku gave up. _'He cannot up and decided to leave me like that without giving me the oppurtunity to say something. Well, I guess I was too stunned then to say anything anyway, but still…'_

"Reveling in dismay, Suzaku?" a deep voice asked.

Suzaku spun to his left, surprised that someone addressed him on his name. Five guards stood before him. For a moment Suzaku feared that someone he had caught him, until he recognized the man who was obviously the unit's leader. It was the intimidating man who Suzaku and Lelouch gave information at the port town of Agulhas. Suzaku recalled that Tohdoh was the man's name.

"How do you know my name?" Suzaku asked.

"You might not remember me, but I certainly remember you. You, the son of the village chief, Genbu"

"You knew my father?" Suzaku asked, on guard.

"Yes. I was once a close friend and subordinate of his. And you, you might have been too young to remember, but I thought you the ways of the sword."

Suzaku stared disbelieving at the man before looking down at his sword. Suzaku closed his eyes and tried to remember, but could only remember was that fateful day when everything burned.

"I'm sorry; all I can ever remember is that day…"

"Don't apologize" Tohdoh stopped his former pupil. "Use the resentment that the past etched into your being to fuel your rage in the present"

"What?"

"No matter how many moons pass, I also cannot forget. However there was not one day when I did not think about the day where vengeance would be mine!"

"Hey"

"The ideal opportunity has presented itself to us! Tomorrow we will enact our revenge on everyone in the Dragon clan!"

"Hey, wait"

"So join us, Suzaku!"

"I said wait, damn*t!" Suzaku raised his voice. Everyone stared at him in confusion. _'Darn it!' _Suzaku cursed internally when he realised that he let his tongue slip. Now everyone was likely to suspect him.

"Suzaku?" Tohdoh inquired.

"Oh no, it's just that I...uh... I have already made my own plans on how I will approach the royal family and the Battle Royale tomorrow, so I won't be joining you"

'_I have to keep it a secret that Lelouch is a prince and that he indirectly caused the destruction of our village eight years ago'_ Suzaku reminded himself. Lelouch already had enough people after his head; he didn't need another man with a vendetta after him.

"Oh?" Tohdoh raised his eyebrow at Suzaku. "I feel you have something that you are not telling us. If it is additional information that will aid us in our mission please do not hesitate to inform us"

"No! I have nothing of the sort!"

Tohdoh narrowed his eyes at Suzaku, disbelieving. "You're lying" Tohdoh said and instantly pulled out his sword and swiped at Suzaku. Using his natural reflexes Suzaku managed to defend himself just in time. "When I defeat you, you will tell me what information you are hiding" Tohdoh stated and swung at Suzaku once more. Suzaku blocked the strike and jumped back.

"Like I said, I have nothing to hide" Suzaku tried to explain while continuously being pushed back by Tohdoh.

"If your swordplay is poor like this, then it is no wonder you couldn't protect your master from being separated from you" Tohdoh quipped.

"What did you say? That had nothing to do with my fighting skills. Do not talk about things you know nothing about!" Suzaku shot back. He struck with his swords a few times.

"So you believe you can still save him?" Tohdoh asked, dodging every one of Suzaku's strikes.

"Of course! I still have a mission to protect Lelouch, and I don't intend to stop until I have completed that mission! Until then I am still his knight!" Suzaku proclaimed as he blocked one of Tohdoh's own strikes.

With force he pushed Tohdoh back and went in with another strike. Tohdoh dodged the strike. The blade missed Tohdoh's face by a margin. Both Suzaku and Tohdoh moved in to attack at the same time. The swords reflected the moon's light every time they made contact, blinding the spectators. The dance of blades ensued until, with Suzaku's final breath, he was able to sidestep Tohdoh and, ducking underneath, aimed his sword to pierce Suzaku's side. He stopped just before the tip of the blade drew blood, as he felt his own back in severe danger with Tohdoh's sword perfectly poised to strike from above.

"Cut, cut, cut! I say that's a wrap, people!" Tamaki stepped forward, waving his hands in a conceding way.

"Tamaki's right, you two" Ohgi stepped in. "Let's call it a draw".

Suzaku and Tohdoh looked at each other, and simultaneously came to an unspoken agreement that neither have them have achieved victory nor suffered defeat.

"Judging on your performance in this match, I have come to two possible conclusions; either this Lelouch is worthy of Suzaku's respect, or that the days the son of Genbu had spent in the wilderness had completely clouded his judgement." Tohdoh concluded

"I wonder" Suzaku admitted "I will only know the answer tomorrow.

"Do what you will, but be sure to show me your answer tomorrow" was the message Tohdoh left before he and his men disappeared into the barracks.

'_Today is sure to be_ _a spectacle' _Suzaku thought as he looked up at the every lightening sky.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, thank you for reading! I apologize for the lack of SuzaLulu, but it's coming. I promise!

As the title of this chapter suggested, everything in this chapter was to set up what comes next; the finale which will take place over two chapters! Though I say two chapters now...It might be more, since this chapter didn't even exist until I finished chapter 9. Such are the whims of a writer I suppose… -.-"

Special thank you shout out to all my wonderful reviewers; **yuuram2fangirl**, **InsanePurpleLove**, **Katkatw1luv,** **A Random Person**, **Deidara4ever** &amp; **crazy anko **and a

Normal thank you shout-out to **all** who read/ follow &amp; favorite!

Edit: Thank you to Guest who have pointed out to me that Sayaka is suppose to be Sayoko. And I call myself a Code Geass writer...I am so ashamed! But that is one of the reasons why reviewers are so great. You guys see things that I miss. I apologize for my mistake. Thank you again, Guest!

See you again!


	11. Maelstrom Part 1: The Power of

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Geass.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Maelstrom Part 1: The Power of Absolute Divinity.

A group of men sat huddled together in a circle. It looked familiar; similar to what Suzaku saw the time he landed at the port town of Agulhas. However, this time, he is not the one watching the group, but part of the group himself.

It was a few minutes before all the guards would be called out to take up their positions and start patrolling the castle. Tohdoh had a few words to say to his men before then.

"Listen well, men" Tohdoh started "We do not know what those damned royals have planned for today, so I want you all to stay on your post until I say otherwise. When I have a good overview of the situation, I will send a signal. Then, and only then, may you attack. Understood?" he finished, and all the men in the group nodded their heads, except one.

"Suzaku?"

'_Nunnally' _a voice in Suzaku's mind suddenly drowned out Tohdoh's voice, and all other outside noises. The baritone voice sounded hauntingly familiar.

'_Lelouch?' _Suzaku called out in his mind. Suzaku didn't know how, but he could feel the voice's shock at hearing Suzaku's voice. Suzaku's mind went silent. After a while of echoing silence, Lelouch's voice returned, but it seemed as if it was faraway from Suzaku, and as if it was not talking to him, yet in a way, Suzaku felt that the message was also meant for him.

'_Nunnally'_ Lelouch said again _'I'm so sorry for failing to stop your capture, and I am sorry that I have not come to save you sooner, but I am here now. But I didn't come alone. I have made a friend without whom I would not have been able to reach you. His name his Suzaku and I am deeply indebted to him.' _Lelouch's voice trailed off, and for a moment Suzaku thought he had lost him. But it came back again soon after.

'_I have done something unforgivable to him, and I deeply regret it. I didn't deserve his help. But I am still grateful to it. I am not sure when I'll see him again, but if that day comes I hope to introduce you to him.' _

'_I know that today will be tough, but please hold on, my dear little sister. I will definitely come to save you. Please, believe in your older brother. I love you, Nunnally'_

'_Damn that Lelouch, guilt-tripping me like this!' _Suzaku thought angrily as he clenched his fists. _'You regret what you did? You didn't deserve my help? Say something like that to my face! I don't care if this might just have been my imagination and stress acting up, but for some reason it still pisses me of - '_ Something hard hit Suzaku over his head as Lelouch's voice faded out.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Suzaku asked angrily, looking straight on the culprit.

"I could ask you the same thing! What do you think you're doing spacing out at a time like this?" Tohdoh scolded Suzaku angrily.

"Sorry, sir" Suzaku apologized. Tohdoh just sighed.

"I will repeat my earlier question; do you understand that you are not to make a move unless I say so, Suzaku?"

Suzaku stayed silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot promise that" Suzaku answered.

Tohdoh's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Why is that?" he asked.

"I am above all a knight, and my master is Lelouch. Before we separated he gave me a mission; a mission to protect him and help him save his sister. I shall fulfill that mission, no matter what"

'_How could I not feel like this after what Lelouch just said…how could I not want jump in and help him now? That idiot!'_

"And what is in it for you?" Tohdoh questioned.

"A knight's code of honor bounds him to his master's will, and it will not release me until I complete my mission, regardless of my personal feelings" Suzaku explained, holding his right hand over his chest.

"And what are your personal feelings to him?"

The question took Suzaku by surprise, but he recovered quickly. "My feelings are irrelevant but…" Suzaku paused "I want to protect him" he said softly, almost a whisper.

"Is that your answer?"

"Yes" Suzaku answered, bowing his head.

Tohdoh sighed in defeat. There was no changing the young man's mind now. He was as obstinate as the Kururugi's came, and Tohdoh knew. He had dealt with Genbu long enough to know at least that much.

"Do what you want"

* * *

"Are you ready?" C.C. asked, walking up to Lelouch from behind.

Lelouch sat hunched over on one of the sofas, his elbows resting on his knees. He held a small talisman loosely between two fingers. It was one of C.C. magic seals. Lelouch gazed at the seal, and held it up in front of his face as it slowly disintegrated, turning into shining dust.

"Yes, thank you for listening to my request"

"You're just full of surprises today. First you come to me for help, then you thank me?"

"I didn't expect you would do it, though"

"Well, it was a simple request; asking me to lend you the power that would allow you to talk to your sister without being next to her. The most I could do though was help you send a message that would manifest in the form of a dream"

"It is enough, and I am grateful to you" Lelouch thanked once again, bowing his head.

"You're getting too soft on me, Lelouch. You're the demon prince, right? You ought to live up to that reputation"

"Heh" Lelouch laughed, before turning his focus inward again.

'_Nunnally and Suzaku; today is the day that I will amend for my mistakes. I will not allow anyone else to suffer because of me ever again' _

Lelouch resolved as he stood up from his chair. He took the dark cape that was draped over the chair and it fluttered through the air as Lelouch threw it over his shoulders.

"I'm ready" Lelouch said as he made his way towards Charles's throne room.

C.C. fell into step behind him. She looked at Lelouch who was looking straight forward him. It seemed that he had finally found his resolve. C.C. was worried for a moment after she made her proposal to form a contract with him, thinking that it was a mistake to put some of her trust in him.

She was both happy and relieved that Lelouch agreed to the terms of her contract. Lelouch is a smart boy. He knew he had no other choice. If he wanted to save his sister, he would have to make some sacrifices. What surprised C.C. was that Lelouch actually believed that he was going to make it out of this alive.

'_Where does all that bravado come from?'_ C.C. thought, before it hit her. _'Of course, it is her blood'_ C.C. looked at Lelouch. _'Right, Marianne?'*_

"Did you say something?" Lelouch asked, looking at C.C. who was walking on his left side.

"No, nothing." C.C. said, as impassive as ever, and looked away from Lelouch.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes at C.C. before leaving it at that. Before now, Lelouch had thought of the Green Witch as a threat, but now, he wasn't so sure. He thought that she was just another one of the Dragon Clan Emperor's dogs, but the girl had some ideas of her own. It was ideas that made Lelouch happy that he was not one of her enemies, but also ideas that made Lelouch unsure if he was her ally. Lelouch is walking on a tight rope, and he could not afford to fall.

All in all, Lelouch would be happy if he could sway her completely to his side, but she is as difficult to sway as another one of the Emperor's dogs.

* * *

The double oak doors slammed open, announcing Lelouch's arrival in the throne room. Lelouch walked inside, determined and unshakable.

The throne room was dark and it only took Lelouch a moment to realize that the silence was not because of everyone's shock and awe at the revived prince, but because there was no one there to be in shock and awe. The throne room was empty, except for one person, who stood in front of the empty throne. He turned to face Lelouch, blonde hair shifting back and forth.

"Welcome, Lelouch" the man said with his beautiful smile. "I hope you slept well"

"I did, thanks to you, Schneizel" Lelouch replied. Schneizel was the other person who Lelouch had the most difficulty with swaying to his side. But that was when Lelouch was young. In his current position, Lelouch believes that he is able to overthrow the haughty king, after which his older brother's loyalties will definitely waver.

"Oh? How so?" Schneizel asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow

"I doubt that the servants working in the household, let alone some of the royal kin, knows of the far eastern passage in the castle. It was always just Nunnally, you and Euphemia who visited me in that room. Considering that Euphemia is still at the Sky Palace, the only one that could have taken me to that room is you, Schneizel" Lelouch explained

"As expected of my little brother" Schneizel gave an amused laugh "However you are wrong about one thing, Lelouch"

"Oh? What might that be?"

"You will find out soon enough" Schneizel said, walking past Lelouch and in the direction of the door "For now, you have more important business with someone other than me, right? Follow me, I will take you to him"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed and he looked over his shoulder at C.C. Schneizel noticed Lelouch's concern, and spoke up.

"You can go on ahead, C.C. Thank you for your hard work" Schneizel said. C.C. met with Lelouch's eyes once more before she flew out in front of them in the way she typically did; her green hair fluttering about her while reflecting the sun's light. Once she was out of sight, Schneizel led Lelouch away from the throne room.

They passed through many corridors, which winded and turned as they went along. After they passed through a steel door, Lelouch no longer recognized the hall they passed through. Lelouch's only conclusion was that, since eight years ago, they must have extended the castle. Loud cheers came from the other side of the wall.

"Where are we? You said you would take me to that man, didn't you?" Lelouch questioned

"Yes, I said that. You'll see where we are soon enough, Lelouch" Schneizel said.

As promised, the corridor opened up into a large hall. Passing through it, Lelouch arrived in what looked like a preparation room for soldiers that was typical of coliseum. However, it couldn't have been that. There were no gladiators.

"I have brought 11th prince Lelouch as requested, sire" Schneizel said with a bow. He crossed his chest with his right hand.

"_Former _11th Prince"the Emperor of the Britannia Dragon Clan, Charles vi Britannia, corrected his second-oldest son. Lelouch turned to where the voice had come from, and what he saw both surprised and angered him; a pool of magical mist displayed his father's face at the center.

"It's good to see you too, _old man_" Lelouch said, his voice laced with enough venom to poison snakes. "I see you are as cowardly as ever; not even brave enough to come down here and talk to me face to face" Lelouch spat.

"Insolence! It is _'Emperor'*_ to you" Charles voice boomed, echoing off the walls of the empty room. "I simply do not wish to breathe the same air as you, you filthy brat"

"Bastard"

"Lelouch, remember who you are talking to. It would be best to show some respect" Schneizel firmly warned Lelouch. Lelouch merely lifted his eyebrow at Schneizel, as if he had just spoken in some foreign language. He returned his attention to the object of his hatred.

"I'm only going to say this once. Let me see Nunnally" Lelouch demanded.

"Schneizel" Charles called, his eyes narrowing. Lelouch's older brother nodded and, with his large hand took Lelouch's head and slammed it into the ground, before holding it there. Lelouch grunted as he felt his head spin from the sudden impact. A sharp pain shot through Lelouch's head as a thin stream of blood flowed down his left eye bank.

"It seems that what Schneizel has told me is true. Even after all your years of exile, you still insist on defying me" Charles said, unimpressed. "You still have a lot to repent for, my wayward son"

"Don't call me that!" Lelouch spat; drops of blood landing in front of the display. "Where is Nunnally?"

"You shall see her shortly. Once you enter the arena, you and your sister will play a vital role in steering history back on its correct course. This time Lelouch, you shall not interfere in my creation of our perfect world"

"Like hell" Lelouch gritted his teeth, glowering at the figure towering over him.

"Get him out of my sight and to the arena" Charles said as he turned away from Lelouch.

"Yes, sir" Schneizel said as he pulled Lelouch up.

"Wait!" Lelouch called, but the screen disappeared in a flash. Lelouch wanted to call again but aloud voice interrupted him. Lelouch ran outside to see who it was.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry to keep you waiting!" the masculine voice announced. "I am Jeremiah Gottwald, also known as…!"

"Orange!" the crowd cheered. The turquoise-haired 'Orange' was wearing a flamboyant skin-tight suit of warm and autumn colours, but mostly orange. He stood in the middle of a large circular arena. A fully packed crescent-shaped pavilion surrounded the arena.

"Welcome to the special event of this year's Battle Royale! It is my privilege and honour to announce to you the special appearances of today's show, which will be fighting with our regular cast!"

As if on cue, five figures walked out of a corridor. Lelouch stood on a bridge at the opposite side of the arena and the corridor. This corridor must have connected the castle and the crescent-shaped pavilion.

"First" Orange started, "we have our 1st Prince and Princess; the temperate Odysseus eu Britannia and the bold Guinevere su Britannia!" A tall muscular man with light brown hair and blue eyes stepped onto the stage, waving at the crowd. A few steps behind him walked an equally as tall woman with long grey hair and green eyes.

"Those guys have not changed at all" Lelouch mumbled with contempt.

"You are not the only one who feels that way" Schneizel chuckled. He began to lead Lelouch across the bridge. "However, I think that you have more important people to worry about"

"Next" Orange continued, "We have two of our most treasured Princesses - !"

"You know how you said that Euphemia was most likely still at the Sky Palace? Well, that is where you are mistaken, Lelouch" Schneizel revealed

"- Our honourable 2nd Princess Cornelia and our dearest 3rd Princess Euphemia, the li Britannia sisters"

"It can't be!" Lelouch exclaimed. He did not want to believe it, but it was true. Cornelia, with Euphemia close behind her, slowly walked up the stairs and onto the arena. The crowd cheered loudly for Cornelia and Euphemia, who were both loved by the majority of the Pendragon's population. Cornelia basked in the cheers, soaking up the fame and adoration. Lelouch noticed, however, that Euphemia was completely on edge and looked uncomfortable.

'_But of course she would be like that! Euphemia is a pacifist, she hates violence, and she would never fight in her life! So why…' _Lelouch wondered _'What did Charles say to brainwash the girl? This is wrong…' _The two sisters came to a stop after they circled the arena once.

"And now the youngest of the lot will make her appearance, 5th Princess Carine ne Britannia!" An energetic girl with feisty red hair and blue eyes bounced onto the stage, waving at the crowd. The crowd indulged in the girl, who was around the same age as Nunnally, and gave her a huge round of applause.

"Oh, and what is this?" Orange asked, looking at the other side of the arena, where he saw Schneizel stringing a struggling Lelouch along. "There he is!" Orange announced excitedly "Our most noble and faithful 2nd Prince, Schneizel el Britannia!" The crowd roared as Schneizel stepped onto the stage, earning Schneizel the loudest cheers of all "But!" Orange wasn't finished yet "With him, he has our very special guest. He is the dark horse of the Clan who escaped judgement eight years ago, however, thanks to the efforts of the Dragon Clan, we were able to find him and bring him back. His name is Lelouch vi Britannia!"

Lelouch looked up at the silent crowd, his eyes taking on a dark glare as he scanned over the crowd. It was so silent that you could hear a pin fall, and Lelouch did. It was the trigger. Simultaneous jeers erupted from the crowd, deriding and ridiculing Lelouch.

"You bastard of a prince!"

"Scum of the earth!"

"Have you repented in hiding?"

"Of course he didn't! The inconsiderate bastard would never reflect on his crimes"

"Who does he think he is, returning to us in a state which he can still breathe?!"

The crowd continued hurling insults at Lelouch, but he didn't react. In fact, he expected it to be this way. After what he did eight years ago, it would probably take three generations to outgrow the hate.

"You shall receive your just desserts today, Lelouch, and it shall be the greatest treat for this crowd" Schneizel laughed, amused at the crowd's reaction to Lelouch.

Lelouch ignored Schneizel's snide comment. It wasn't something he hasn't already realized, after all. Instead, Lelouch focused his gaze on Euphemia. She avoided his gaze. Lelouch could see the conflict in her eyes.

'_Euphemia is too kind' _Lelouch thought _'Even after what I did to her, she still cannot stop herself from caring about me' _

"Calm down everyone! We all share those mutual feelings, but that is what this special event is for! But enough from me, now, the Emperor himself shall speak a few words."

"My people" a hideously familiar voice said over the same loud-speaker system that Orange had spoken over. Lelouch followed the voice until he saw Charles standing in the gallery of the pavilion. However, he was not alone. C.C. was with him. But it was not just C.C.

"We are all still grieving for the loss of our beloved 3rd Prince Clovis, who was a slain by former 11th Prince Lelouch during the rebellion eight years ago." Emperor Charles started and many of the women in the arena wept for their lost prince.

"However," Charles continued "that was not his only crime. Lelouch used the murder of Prince Clovis as a mere diversion to commit a much greater crime; to steal our most precious treasure" Charles revealed as if a great injustice had been done to him, building up the crowd's resentful feelings towards Lelouch.

"I am pleased to announce that after eight years, we have finally retrieved not only the heinous criminal, but the stolen treasure as well!" Charles announced, pointing to a girl.

"Nunnally!" he gasped. Nunnally was sitting in an upright position, her hands and feet chained to the ground. Her eyes were closed. "Nunnally!" Lelouch shouted more loudly, trying to manoeuvre himself out of Schneizel's grip, but he struggled in vain.

"She is the 4th Princess, Nunnally vi Britannia" the Emperor announced. "She has been blessed with a heavenly power. This power allows me and my kin to become creatures of the heavens and soar among the clouds; her power allows us to become dragons! Since ancient times, our divine clan always had this ability, and we were prosperous. It was that fool of an offspring of mine who rebelled against our ancient customs and took her away"

At this, the crowd jeered once more, and Emperor Charles relished in it.

"Now, Princess Nunnally has returned to us. We will once more tap into her dormant power, and in a wonderful display of our power deliver divine judgment on the Black Prince in this Battle Royale!" Charles declared, earning mad cheers from the crowd, thoroughly pumping them up.

"So that is your plan; a public execution?" Lelouch scoffed, anger boiling and rising to the surface, threatening to erupt into violent theory "I refuse to let happen. I won't let you repeat the tragedy from eight years ago!"

* * *

The Emperor of the Dragon Clan had just revealed the secret of Nunnally and her power. Suzaku had heard everything from where he stood on his guard post on the west wing of the pavilion, and he was honestly shell-shocked. Suzaku had no idea that Lelouch's sister's power was so significant.

'_Well, it should be at least this powerful; otherwise the Clan would not have bothered retrieving her, and Lelouch would not have bothered protecting her. Well, Lelouch would have protected her regardless of her power' _Suzaku reminded himself.

Nunnally's eyes were closed, but even so, Suzaku could tell that Nunnally was truly a beauty, and that there was some truth in all those fabricated stories after all. She sat in a dignified manner, but it was clear that she was nervous. She didn't seem too afraid though. Occasionally her fingers fiddled with each other, but other than that, her shoulders seemed as relaxed as it could be in her present situation and her breathing even, judging from the rise and fall of her chest.

Suzaku wondered why that would be, and then remembered the telepathic message he heard that morning. It was a message that was mostly meant for Nunnally. Suzaku heard Lelouch's voice, so surely Nunnally must have heard it too. She heard Lelouch's promise to save her.

'_I do not want anything more than Lelouch's success, but that does not seem plausible for Lelouch at this point' _Suzaku pondered as he looked at Lelouch. Suzaku saw two other guards walk up to 2nd Prince Schneizel.

They each handed the proxy-leader of Avalon something. Suzaku could not make out what it was, but he saw Schneizel take the one object. He took Lelouch's hands, which he had held in lock behind Lelouch's back the entire time, and cuffed them together, making it impossible for Lelouch to do anything. Suzaku felt the rage building up within him. But it did not stop there. Schneizel took the object – a piece of cloth – from the other guard and blindfolded Lelouch, disabling him from seeing anything.

Suzaku clenched his fist, trying to keep his sense of justice from causing him to act prematurely and squandering all chances of saving Lelouch. Suzaku knew what the demented Emperor was planning. He wanted a one-sided beating of the 'Black Prince', which Suzaku found to be absolutely ludicrous. Suzaku still had to wonder about the eyes though.

'_Why bother closing Lelouch's eyes? Lelouch's physical strength as a human may be sub-par, but he should still be able to sense and dodge attacks. So, why…?' _Little did Suzaku know that his unasked question was about to be answered, and it would change everything.

* * *

"My people!" the Emperor started up once more. "I am sure that you are all wondering why I have blindfolded former Prince Lelouch, and the answer is quite simple. But rather than explain it, how about I demonstrate it to you all?*" Charles proposed, and received favorable responses from the crowd.

Charles smirked and signalled C.C. to 'go ahead'. C.C. gave the Charles an annoyed look. She never liked the old man for his dominating ways; the way he looked down on everyone.

'_Well, hopefully, that would all change today; one way, or another'_ C.C. walked up to Nunnally and stood behind you.

"C.C.?" The girl questioned. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry my dear Princess, but playtime is now over"

"Playtime? Was holding me company and serving me these last few days just a game for you?" Nunnally asked, remembering the times C.C. came up to her tower. C.C. always talked and joked with her, always listening patiently to her stories. C.C. even showed Nunnally how to fold a paper crane, and told her that if Nunnally folds 1000 cranes, her wish would come true. Nunnally was last on crane number 100, and a part of her wish had already come true.

"I merely played the servant-part because it was convenient" C.C. explained, bringing Nunnally back from her trip down memory lane. Seeing Nunnally's confused expression, C.C. continued. "Do you honestly think that you, a princess who had long-lost her connection to royalty, could possibly have a master-servant relationship with anyone?"

Nunnally shook her head in response.

"Smart girl" C.C. complimented "The relationship between us is more between me and your power. I have long since been the protectress of the code you carry within you; Geass. I oversee the passing on of this code from mother to daughter in each generation; as well prevent the power from going out of control or being used in unproductive ways."

"I never knew" Nunnally admitted timidly, ashamed at her own ignorance.

"Of course you wouldn't know. After your mother died the code was passed onto you, but shortly after that your brother swept you away and went into the hiding, so I never had the chance to explain things to you"

"I won't apologize" Nunnally declared firmly, before adding more softly "my brother wouldn't want me too, not after what happened"

C.C. laughed at Nunnally's statement. The girl was doing well trying to put on a brave front, but she was clearly trembling inside. C.C. decided to humour the former princess a bit.

"Still, it was clever to use a spell on yourself that sealed your eyes, preventing any of the family from looking into your eyes and tapping into your power."

"My brother taught me the spell and told me to use it if I ever get into any trouble"

"Your brother is actually very paranoid, isn't he?" C.C. chuckled "Well it would have been a foolproof plan, since no normal mage can break the seal, however" C.C. paused, playing with a strand of Nunnally's sandy brown hair "I am no normal mage"

C.C. crouched behind Nunnally and placed her hands on both sides of Nunnally's face. Nunnally paled and froze at the sudden contact. C.C. pressured Nunnally's temples with her index fingers. She began a chant. The foreign words rolled off of C.C.'s tongue, deliberately slow and smooth.

Nunnally could feel the power of the words affecting her body. The surge of the power that Nunnally was trying to suppress for so long was painful. Nunnally's chest felt tight and it hurt to breathe. C.C.'s chant became more fast-paced as she reached the climax of the spell, and a mark on her forehead began to glow; the mark of a sigil.

"Soar power of the heavens. Activate Geass: The Power of Absolute Divinity!" C.C. ended, a magic seal activating on the ground below them.

Despite Nunnally's best efforts, she could still not resist C.C.'s spell. She had no idea that the protectress of the code was so powerful. Her eyes shot open, and Nunnally could feel her eyes glowing with power. The soft-pink glow faded and soon revealed the symbol of Geass; one sigil in each eye. It was the proof of the power's activation.

Nunnally knew that she could no longer control who will look into her eyes, and she knew that her strength was not her own anymore. She had none of her own magic left that she could use to reactivate the spell that would seal her eyes. She had used most of it the first time she activated the seal, and it took all of her magical stamina to support the seal. Now, Nunnally was utterly at the mercy of the imperial clan, and she feared for her life. It was the same fear that she had felt eight years ago. It felt as if history was repeating itself once more.

'_Big brother Lelouch, where are you?'_

* * *

'_Nunnally?' _Lelouch thought he heard Nunnally's voice. He looked up, and through his blindfold he could see something shining. _'The seal that kept her eyes shut must have been broken. The Clan shouldn't have any magicians who are capable of doing that, except…of course. It must have been C.C.' _

There wasn't anything Lelouch could do about her. C.C. warned him that this will happen. C.C. could not disobey the Emperor and risk getting her plans foiled, so she had no choice but to break the seal. That is precisely why they formed the contract.

'_But right now'_ Lelouch thought as he struggled against the cuffs, _'we cannot activate the contract' _Lelouch cursed. It is obvious that they would cuff his hands, but Lelouch didn't think that they would blindfold him as well. He needed his eyes to save his sister. Now he couldn't even see to properly defend against the oncoming attack.

* * *

"It is time!" Charles bellowed. "Now, take destiny into your own hands, my children!"

Schneizel was the first to look Nunnally in her eyes. The Geass power activated and the same sigils appeared in Schneizel's eyes, imbuing him with the power to transform. Schneizel felt his blood boil as his body glowed and increased to a formidable size. His hands and feet were replaced by the sharpest of claws, able to slice through even the toughest of stone. Golden scales replaced his scales shone brightly as it reflected the sun's light. A long and sleek tail formed. It glowed like a stream of light when Schneizel swung through the air in a wide arc. His eyes began to glow a devious yellow, all traces of kindness gone. He smirked, revealing his teeth which were as sharp and lethal as blades.

The buds of light on his back bloomed into majestic wings. With a roar and one flap of his wings, Schneizel launched into the air and stopped once he reached a high enough altitude. He spread out his wings and let out an ear-piercing roar that made even the bravest of men quiver with fear.

At his roar, the 1st Prince and Princess also looked up at Nunnally and into her eyes. Odysseus transformed into a grand dragon with rough scales in varying shades of brown and extremely long wings, which had the strength to travel thousands of miles at once and cause powerful winds. Guinevere's dragon form was smaller than that of her kin, but her special ability lay in her exceptional speed and her sharp claws. The eager Carine's dragon form was smaller than Guinevere's with orange-tinted red scales. Her all-around spiked tail was her most intimidating feature. She could handle her tail with exceptional skill and precision.

Equally as eager was Cornelia. She basked in the glow of the Geass Power, letting the power take over. Her dragon form was larger than Guinevere's but smaller than Schneizel's. Purple scales, a shade darker than her indigo eyes, decorated her body. Her dark pink wings were not too big or heavy, enabling Cornelia to swiftly travel through her sky. Her claws were all made of a powerful alloy, allowing her to easily drive her opponents through. Her tail had an amethyst texture, and was equally as lethal as her claws. Cornelia's power overall was the most balanced of all.

Euphemia was last. She looked up at the immense creatures before her. Their mere presence was so intimidating it caught the crowd between speechless wonder and ecstatic cheers. Euphemia glanced at Lelouch, and a pang shot through her. She did not dare imagine the horror which lay before him. There was also Nunnally, who Euphemia did not yet look up to. She could tell that the girl was struggling, and she knew that transforming now would completely break her younger half-sister.

Euphemia did not want to do it. When her sister came to the Sky Palace and demanded Euphemia's participation in the Battle Royale, she refused. Euphemia was not known for her obstinacy, but she had plenty of it. Euphemia was only persuaded after Cornelia insisted that it was their father's order. Euphemia had no choice but to relent.

Euphemia could not back out now lest she face the inevitable repercussions. Slowly and reluctantly Euphemia looked up into Nunnally's eyes, and transformed into a smaller dragon than Guinevere.

Euphemia's dragon form was the most unusual of all, and it was not because of the light pink tint to her humble scales. Nor her claws neither her tail was fit for battle. Her wings were just strong enough to keep her airborne. Euphemia's true power lied within. She held a bottomless pool of light in her chest; A warm power filled with honest feelings of affection and compassion. It's healing properties made it fit for supporting magic. Euphemia wished though that she did not have to play the supporting role in an act where she could not support her loved one.

* * *

Nunnally screamed in excruciating pain as the dragons kept drawing magic from her body to sustain their forms. The earth trembled under their immense power, and the crowd watched on in awe as the dragons began to make their move against the helpless Lelouch.

"Let's go!" Carine said excitedly, who was the first one to make a move by charging forward, and as soon as she was within striking range, she swept her spiked tail across the ground. Lelouch, sensing it a moment before it would hit, jumped back and avoided the attack.

While Lelouch was in mid-air, Guinevere saw her chance to strike. "My turn!" she shouted as she launched forward at break-neck speed and attacked Lelouch, tearing through his shirt and his flesh. Lelouch fell back onto the ground, a burning pain searing through his chest.

"Hey there, it's too soon to die on us yet, Lelouch" Schneizel quipped before nodding at Odysseus. Odysseus, understanding the signal, widely spread out his wings before starting to wave it.

"I apologize, Lelouch, but please understand that this is all for the sake of the Kingdom" Odysseus excused as massive gust of winds formed from the motion of his giant wings. The wind currents created a large whirlwind, sweeping Lelouch into the air, as well as a few items from the spectators.

"Don't apologize to your enemy, Odysseus!" Schneizel said as he poised his tail, ready to strike. He swung his tail through the air and it changed form into a stream of light. Schneizel wielded his tail like a whip and lashed Lelouch. The move didn't pierce Lelouch as much as it severed Lelouch's blood flow to his right arm. Lelouch screamed as he crashed into the ground.

"You are not being fair Schneizel. Leave some of the prey for me to devour as well" Cornelia insisted indignantly. She charged forward with one flap of her wings and was in front of Lelouch in no time. She turned, sweeping her amethyst tail across the ground, ready to strike down Lelouch. Lelouch, through his dizziness, mustered enough strength to tumble backwards and evaded the spot where Cornelia's tail came crashing down on the ground. It left in its wake many stalagmite-like shards of amethyst.

"You have too much life left in you if you are still nimble like this!" Cornelia said angrily, before charging forward with one flap of her wings once more. She sliced Lelouch's chest with her claws, leaving his chest bloody and bare. Cornelia grabbed Lelouch with two of her claws and brought him closer to her face. She flared her nostrils; the smoke causing Lelouch to cough up blood. It felt as if his lungs were being crushed, and it hurt to breathe.

"Not enough. This is not enough" Cornelia said, as she threatened to dig her claw into Lelouch's stomach. "I will not be satisfied with only this. You need to suffer more, much more! You need to feel the same amount of suffering we felt that day; the day you took our brother away from us!"

Lelouch struggled to open his eyes, not that it matter, since he couldn't see anything anyway. He could only imagine the face of his angry older half-sister.

"That man was useless anyway. He's better off where he is now" Lelouch taunted in a hoarse voice, irking Cornelia. She slightly pierced Lelouch with her claw, drawing a bit of blood. It was a warning; a warning for Lelouch to not continue with his insults lest he wants an earlier death than necessary.

* * *

"Get him, Cornelia!"

"Go to hell, rotten filth!"

"Give us back our Prince Clovis! We want him, not you, you murderer!"

Shirley clutched her chest as she listened to the people cheer for Lelouch's death from the sidelines. Shirley, on the other hand, could not believe that Lelouch would do something like that. He always seemed so kind to her. He even rescued them from the Sky Palace, even though there was no real merit in it for him and it took time away from his journey.

'_His face…was that the face of a murderer?' _Shirley wondered, she felt herself beginning to sway.

"Shut the hell up!" a familiar voice brought Shirley back from her daze. She looked over to where Rivalz stood a few blocks away. She and Rivalz had infiltrated the arena as snack vendors. "You guys don't know anything about Lelouch! Don't act like you know him well enough to diss him."

"What are you talking about? The Emperor told us that it was the rebel Prince Lelouch who killed Prince Clovis eight years ago. What other reason do we need?" a spectator shot back

"You don't even know if that's true! The Emperor could be lying"

"What?! The Emperor would never lie to us"

"Right, right" another spectator chimed in

"I don't believe it! Lelouch would never do something like that"

"So what? You're alone on that one. Just focus on doing your job as a salesman and we'll focus on our job as spectators and be entertained" a third spectator said, throwing Rivalz with his empty soda cup.

"Yeah get back to your job -"

"And we'll do what we came here for; to be entertained!"

"What a lousy attitudes" Rivalz remarked as he blocked the onslaught of popcorn and half-eaten corn dogs.

'_I refuse to believe it. I will not doubt my friend. Lelouch is not a murderer. That is not a face of a murderer' _Rivalz repeated to himself over and over. He would not be swayed without seeing proof first.

* * *

Elsewhere on the pavilion, Suzaku stood clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as he watched Cornelia holding Lelouch in a bone crunching grip. He wanted to jump in and save Lelouch, but Suzaku knew that with all these Dragons around, one false move would mean his end, and he wouldn't have helped Lelouch at all.

Tohdoh observed the battle. Normally, he would have wanted to get revenge against Lelouch as well, since it had been revealed that he is also part of the Royal Lineage. However, he and the former Prince had mutual interests, so Tohdoh will spare him, for now.

Tohdoh looked over at Suzaku. He could see that the boy's fingers were itching to draw his blade, but Suzaku was using an impressive amount of self-control not to give in to that dangerous desire.

'_It's better this way. Be patient, Suzaku. The ideal chance to strike will come. I just hope that the Black Prince can hold out until then' _Tohdoh thought wishfully.

'_I have to be patient' _Suzaku echoed, clutching his word, as if it was an anker. As soon as he saw a chance, he would strike.

Suzaku didn't have to wait long. He could hear in the distance someone shouting something.

"OOOUUCH!" it came closer and closer

"LELOOUUCCH!" the voice shouted again, and suddenly something in the sky caught Suzaku's eye.

'_What is that?' _Suzaku thought. The figure descended quickly, and soon Suzaku could make out wings, claws, and a tail, all covered in crimson scales. _'It's a dragon? But who could it be? The only other dragon we know of is –' _The dragon tackled Cornelia, forcing her to let go of Lelouch. Lelouch was flung to the side, rolling across the arena.

"I am here to exact my revenge on Lelouch" Kallen announced, flying backwards until she was in front of Lelouch, facing the other dragons.

"Another dragon? How is that possible? Only the members of the Royal Clan should be able to transform" Guinevere said frantically. Schneizel narrowed his eyes. He would like to know the answer to that as well. That dragon was not part of Cornelia's special Dragon Knight squad, and he was certain that there were no members in the family that he did not know about.

"What's it matter? Get in line, pink face! We all want a piece of Lelouch" Carine snapped.

"Pink face?" Kallen asked, raising an eyebrow before returning to the issue at hand "And I'm afraid I can't do that. Lelouch is mine to kill, and I'm not sharing him." Kallen avowed.

"I'm afraid we have a problem then. Since we have an order to kill Lelouch, we cannot simply hand him over" Odysseus pointed out

"In other words" Cornelia said as she shoved Odysseus out of the way "what this old man is trying to say is that once we take care of you, Lelouch is next"

"Perfect" Kallen smirked "Give me your best shot, all of you" At the provocation, all the other Dragons charged forward, attacking in turn.

'_Now!' _Suzaku thought.

Tohdoh saw the changed in Suzaku's expression from uncertain and resolute and watched as the youth drew his sword and jumped from the pavilion onto the grass terrain and swiftly crossing it to the arena.

Suzaku tried to stay out of sight while he circles the arena to reach the side where Lelouch is at. He wasn't secretive enough, however, and Carine spotted them.

"An annoying insect has decided to pester us. No matter, I'll take care of him" Carine said as she charged towards Suzaku. Suzaku froze, as if he was a deer caught in headlights, when he saw the monstrous creature charging at him. Suzaku braced himself for impact, but it never came. Suzaku opened his eye and sat Tohdoh had blocked the dragon's tail with his sword.

"This is not the time the space out!" Tohdoh said "Go do what you have to do, soldier"

Suzaku smiled "Thank you, sir. I'll be going now"

"Right" Tohdoh said as he managed to repel the dragon, severely pissing Carine off. "Men, move out!" he ordered.

His three units moved out at their leader's command. Tamaki's unit took Guinevere, Ohgi's unit targeted Cornelia and Sugiyama's unit faced Odysseus, while the remaining men joined Tohdoh in his battle against Carine.

Suzaku watched as Tohdoh's men took up their positions, ready to fight. Words could not describe how grateful he was. With their help, saving Lelouch might not be such an impossible goal after all.

'_Wait for me, Lelouch! I'm coming to save you now!'_

_To be Continued_

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, thank you for reading!

Thanks to all those who reviewed, Favorited and followed &amp; to those who will still review. A special thanks to:

A special shout out thank you to all my reviewers **Guest, ****InsanePurpleLove, ****A Random Person, ****Deidara4ever ****crazy anko, **and a

Normal thank you shout out to **all** who reviewed, Favorited and followed.

Beta: **Icy-Kitty117** \- Sankyuu as always!


	12. Maelstrom Part 2: Zero

**Disclaimer:** I do not, have not and (probably)never will own Code Geass.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Maelstrom Part 2: Zero

_Suzaku watched as Tohdoh's men took up their positions, ready to fight. Words could not describe how grateful he was. With their help, saving Lelouch might not be such an impossible goal after all. _

'_Wait for me, Lelouch! I'm coming to save you now!' _

Suzaku made his way across the arena, battles happening all around him. He kept a close eye on the battles, dodging as stray attacks came his way.

Tamaki and three of his men surrounded Guinevere. They were armed with odd weapons, such as flails, a heavy mace and a sickle. At Tamaki's command, they went in for an attack, but Guinevere easily avoided their attacks with her speed and attacked them from behind.

"Watch out!" Tamaki noticed the attack in time for him to shout at his men to dodge it. One of the men bumped into Suzaku.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Don't mind it, focus!" The man nodded his thanks to Suzaku, before jumping into the fray once more.

Suzaku returned his own focus to reaching Lelouch. On his way he had to dodge Cornelia's tail whip that was meant for a man in Ohgi's unit, but he dodged it in time. Ohgi came from above and, with his war hammer, struck the back of Cornelia's neck. Cornelia gave an angry roar before stumbling about, trying to get the pest off of. Suzaku tumbled out of the way to avoid Cornelia stepping on him.

However he came to an abrupt stop as Carine flew past in front of him, turning in mid-air and swept her tail across the ground. Tohdoh blocked the spikes with his Katana, but he knew that the tail was stronger. Thinking quickly, he jumped up. As he came down he swung at Carine, but his blade was blocked by her claw. They remained in lock, both refusing to let go.

'_Being able_ _to muster enough force to_ _stay in lock with a dragon? What monstrous strength Tohdoh has!' _Suzaku looked up in awe, before something in the sky caught his attention. Schneizel had just released a powerful roar, sending Kallen back, but she didn't give up. Waving her wings with all her strength, she managed to go against the force of the roar and attack. Her determination was truly terrifying, and Suzaku feared what would happen when she eventually came after Lelouch.

Thinking about Lelouch, Suzaku saw that it was only a few more steps before he would reach him. However, a great gust of wind came down on Suzaku. He looked up, seeing Odysseus watching him carefully.

"Damn it, I don't have time to deal with him!"

"You don't have to" Sugiyama came from behind. "My men are already in place."

"What men?" Suzaku looked around but saw nothing.

"Attack!" Suzaku looked around once more at Sugiyama's shout, before something caught his eye. Two men stood at the top of the pavilion. How they got there Suzaku wouldn't know. He did notice that each one of them held a bow and arrow. The two men drew the arrows back, charging it with magical power.

"Magic?" Surprise was clear on Suzaku's face.

"That's right. They're our special magician force. It took some effort on Tohdoh's part to get them to work with us, but we have a mutual goal, so there wasn't any reason to refuse." Sugiyama explained proudly.

"I see." Suzaku watched the two release consecutive magic-charged arrows. Dots of light travelled across the midday sky like shooting stars. With exact precision, the arrows pierced Odysseus wings, making it harder for them to move.

"As expected from a Dragon of the Royal Clan, luckily we came with every worst-case scenario in mind." Sugiyama looked over his shoulder and called "Your turn guys give it your all!"

Suzaku looked back and saw that at the other side of the ring, right at the edge, stood two men with javelins in their hands. Both took up their positions and charged their javelins with magic while aiming at Odysseus wings.

"Enchanted Javelin!" They both shouted and after running a few steps, thrust the javelins forward. The javelins moved through the sky quicker than a Peregrine Falcon, and pierced Odysseus's wings with precision exactly like that of the arrows. Roaring in pain, Odysseus ceased the movements of his wings and started his slow descent.

"He won't stay airborne for much longer, so go now while you still have a chance. We'll handle things here." Sugiyama instructed, taking out his Kraken-tooth lots-of-things-happened spear.

"Right, thank you very much!" Suzaku gave a quick bow of his head and continued on to Lelouch, his master.

* * *

Suzaku ran up to Lelouch. He soon reached the motionless body. Suzaku dropped down to his knees after seeing Lelouch's injuries. His body was all battered and bruised, and it made Suzaku feel sick just by looking at it. He didn't think that Lelouch would be injured to this extent. Suzaku took Lelouch into his arms.

"Lelouch?"

At first there was nothing. All the noise of the battle around them faded out. All that Suzaku could hear was Lelouch's faint breathing. Suzaku removed Lelouch's blindfold with his trembling hand. The pain from the sudden movement contorted Lelouch's face. Lelouch slowly opened his eyes, and stared deeply into Suzaku's. For a while he didn't say anything. Lelouch showed no signs of recognising the one in whose arms he was.

Suzaku was afraid that Lelouch had forgotten him, or that he was still angry at Suzaku for not stopping him that night. The small tug at the sides of Lelouch's lips was all it took to completely wipe away all of those worries.

"Yo, Suzaku" a small smile graced Lelouch's face "So you came after all?"

Suzaku felt tears glazing over his eyes.

"Of course, you idiot!" Suzaku quickly pressed Lelouch against his chest. He didn't want the former Prince to notice the tears that was threatening to fall. "How could you let yourself become injured like this?"

"Sorry" Lelouch chuckled "I was in a bit of a bind."

"This is not funny!" Suzaku separated himself from Lelouch and looked in his eyes once more. "You had me seriously worried, being beaten up like that."

Lelouch's eyes softened at the truly concerned expression on Suzaku's face. Lelouch used all the upper body strength he had left to lift himself up and touch Suzaku's forehead with his own.

"I know. I'm sorry." Lelouch whispered.

"I thought you were going to die." Suzaku whispered in return.

Lelouch opened his eyes and saw that Suzaku wasn't looking at him, but down. Lelouch saw how glazed over Suzaku's eyes were, and he had to commend the young knight for his self-control. However, it wasn't strong enough, as Lelouch noticed a stray tear. Lelouch swiftly licked up the tear. It shocked Suzaku, and made him return all his attention to his master. He saw the slight smirk on his master's face, and looked away once more.

"You're a horrible person." Suzaku muttered, earning another chuckle from Lelouch.

"I would have used my hand, but as I said earlier, I'm in a bit of a bind."

Wordlessly, Suzaku drew his sword with his right hand. Suzaku positioned the sword very carefully between Lelouch's hands, before slicing through metal.

With both of his hands free once more, Lelouch immediately returned the hug that Suzaku had given him this whole time, once again shocking Suzaku. Suzaku's heart would never get use to Lelouch's unpredictable ways, but it still made him happy. He returned the hug, holding Lelouch around his waist.

"Thank you for coming back." Lelouch thanked softly.

"Of course, but someone is still waiting for us to rescue her." Lelouch gave Suzaku another small smile after hearing Suzaku's words.

"Right, we cannot loiter around here any longer." Lelouch said, and both reluctantly let go of the other. They wanted to treasure the moment forever, but they knew that they had something more important to do first.

* * *

A large shadow cast over Lelouch and Suzaku. They both looked up and saw that it was a dragon that stood before them, completely blocking out the sun.

"Euphemia" Lelouch guessed. Euphemia wasn't surprised. Lelouch knew that it was only she who could have such a terribly sorrowful expression at a time like this.

"Lelouch, I'm so sorry." Euphemia's voice was shaking.

"What are you apologizing for?"

Euphemia stayed silent, avoiding Lelouch's gaze. She tried to put the words in the correct order in her head, but it was all still a jumbled mess. Once Euphemia more or less had an idea of what she wanted to say, she started.

"It's just that ever since that day, I vowed to never fight. I told Father this, and he and my mother had long arguments at night over my pacifism. In the end though, Father forced me to take up healing magic and be at the very least support in a battle. And you know that I – "

"You are too afraid to disobey Father's orders." Lelouch's comment bothered Euphemia, but only because she knew that he was right.

"I do not have the power to oppose him, Lelouch!" Euphemia defended herself. "Older sister already did everything in her power to allow father to let me live at the Sky Palace. That way, I wouldn't be under his power as much."

"Yet he had enough power over you to make you come back for this tournament."

Euphemia wanted to argue, but she knew that Lelouch was right. She clenched and unclenched her claws. She flared her nostrils, trying to compose herself. She would never win an argument against Lelouch.

"Yes, that's right." Euphemia confirmed, much calmer now. "However, my motives for joining are very different from that Father's. I did not come here with the intention of supporting the Britannia Clan. I promised myself that the only one I would help in this fight is you, Lelouch." Euphemia said, and lowered herself so that her face was on level with Lelouch's.

Lelouch couldn't hide the surprise on his face. "Didn't you just say that you didn't have the power to oppose _that man_?"

"Yes, _I _do not have the power to oppose him, but you do, Lelouch. I couldn't refuse his order to come here, and at first I was distraught. But then I realised that there was something that even I could do while here." Euphemia looked away shyly, before looking back at Lelouch with a fresh blush on her cheeks "Please, let me heal you"

"What?" Lelouch and Suzaku were equally surprised. "Aren't the repercussions for betrayal severe?"

"I'm not afraid. I know that you came here today with a plan, and I trust you." She held out her hands.

Lelouch tried to stand up, but he couldn't gather enough strength in his legs. It had been fractured while Lelouch was in Cornelia's grip. Suzaku was immediately at his side, holding Lelouch's arm around his shoulder and helping him to his feet.

"Think this over carefully, Lelouch" Suzaku whispered in a barely audible voice. "She might be luring you into a trap"

Lelouch looked into Euphemia's eyes, searching for the slightest sign of false intention, but he could find none.

"How could you trust me after what I did to you?" Lelouch asked softly, bangs covering his eyes.

Euphemia's eyes softened. "I know you will do the right thing, Lelouch" there was no doubt in her voice whatsoever. Lelouch gritted his teeth. If that was not the sound of honesty, he didn't know what was.

Lelouch looked up at Euphemia, and tugged the arm Suzaku was holding. Suzaku carefully let go of Lelouch's arm, and the former prince stumbled into Euphemia's hands. She held Lelouch carefully and brought him closer to her chest.

* * *

"Stop!" Cornelia shouted, fast approaching the scene.

She had been close enough to listen in on the entire conversation, and she could not accept Euphemia's resolve. She would have been there sooner to stop them, had it not been for the pesky humans distracting her. Luckily, the Royal Knights* Gino and Anya arrived, and they were keeping the 'pesky squad' busy.

"Euphemia." Cornelia addressed her younger sister with all the authority she could muster.

"Sister!" Euphemia responded in surprise, turning around.

"I cannot tolerate these foolish actions. Stop this disobedience now."

Euphemia froze for a moment, before finding her resolve once more. "I'm afraid I cannot do that sister. This is the only way for us to create a new, brighter future."

"Are you mad? Have you forgotten that this man killed your brother? Your love for Lelouch is blinding your reason!"

"That's not true!" Cornelia arched an eyebrow at Euphemia's defiance. "I cannot agree with Father in taking revenge. Revenge will only breed more grief and sadness, and it is not the right path to take."

"Oh? And what do you think Lelouch will do once you heal him? He will surely kill us to escape."

"No." Euphemia held her ground. "Lelouch will make the right decision. I know he will." Euphemia reaffirmed to herself more softly.

"You…" Cornelia growled, her anger reaching a boiling point.

"Alright, that's enough" Suzaku stepped between Euphemia and Cornelia. "Princess Euphemia, pardon my disrespect, but this is not the time tobe arguing. Lelouch has something he must do."

Euphemia's attention snapped back to Lelouch after the young knight's words. _'That's right. This is not the time to be arguing. I have to help Lelouch.'_ "Be careful, Sir Suzaku." Euphemia said before turning away from the coming battle.

Euphemia looked at Lelouch, and saw his eyes were half-open. His breathing had gotten much weaker. _'Stay with me Lelouch' _Euphemia pleaded. She called on the power within her, sincerely wishing for Lelouch to heal. The magic answered her call and bathed Lelouch in a soft pink light. The glowing wounds started to disappear one by one as more and more power flowed into Lelouch.

"That's enough!" Cornelia charged at Euphemia. She opened her eyes slightly. Her eyes widening as Cornelia raised her claw and swiped at her. Suzaku jumped up in front of Euphemia just in time, blocking the 2nd Princess's attack with his sword.

"Don't lose focus." Suzaku ordered, and Euphemia immediately returned her focus to healing Lelouch.

'_Just a bit more' _Euphemia thought, and with a last wave of magic, Lelouch's healing was complete.

Breathless, Euphemia gently set Lelouch back on the ground. "Are you okay, Lelouch?"

"Of course I am, thanks to you. What about you, Euphemia?"

Euphemia gave a weak laugh. "I'm almost out of power. I must have used more magic than I thought."

Lelouch frowned. He looked over his shoulder to where Suzaku was giving Cornelia a hard time. Now was the ideal chance for him to get to C.C. and set their plan in motion and the quickest way to get there would be by flight, and the only one who could take him there was Euphemia. Lelouch looked back at Euphemia. She was trying her best not to lose consciousness.

"Euphemia" Euphemia looked up at Lelouch once she heard her name being called "I hate to impose on you, but there's one more thing that I would like you to do for me."

Without an utter of contention, Euphemia agreed to use her last bit of strength to take Lelouch to the gallery in the pavilion where Nunnally was at.

"Suzaku, I'm counting on you" Lelouch called as Euphemia lifted off.

"Are you running away?! Coward!" Cornelia attempted to follow them, but Suzaku stopped her by slicing the tips of her wings, effectively stopping her.

"Leave the rest to me!" Suzaku took up a stance once more, holding his sword in front of him, ready to strike once more.

* * *

C.C. watched as Lelouch climbed on the weak Euphemia and, after shouting something at his Knight, made his way towards where she stood next to Nunnally in the gallery.

'_You knew that the Princess would be unable to deny your request, didn't you Lelouch? Shamelessly using that woman's feelings for you; what a cunning man you are' _

"It appears my children are struggling in their mission. I did not expect my foolish son to have so many allies" C.C. looked over at Charles. He was angrily watching his son's movements, and C.C. strategically placed herself between Charles and Nunnally. If the Emperor decided to transform into a dragon, then, with C.C. in place, he would not be able to see her eyes, and be unable to transform.

"C.C., I want you to stop him if he gets too close"

"Of course, sire" C.C. bowed before once again meeting Lelouch's eyes.

It required a bit more than her usual self-control to continue donning her nonchalant and bored expression. The expression in Lelouch's eyes made her want to smirk. Rage and hate had filled his eyes, but now it a frightening calmness filled it.

'_Yes, this is it. This is the expression that I have searched for. This is the expression of a King. The expression that had its origin in despair, and is also the mark of a lethal strategy'_

Lelouch came closer and closer.

"What are you waiting for? Go, now!" Charles order came loud and clear.

'Yes sir" C.C. said as she leapt from the gallery.

For a moment she leisurely floated through the sky. She looked over her shoulder at the Emperor. He was getting restless, but C.C. knew that he would never make a move himself. The pompous prick didn't believe in dirtying his own hands when he had others to do it for him. C.C. allowed herself a brief smirk before returning her attention to Lelouch. She activated her Levitation Magic, and flew up to Lelouch and Euphemia.

"What should I do, Lelouch?" Euphemia wasn't sure where to go. Battles were taking place all around her. Lelouch didn't answer her. "Lelouch?"

'_I'm ready, C.C.' _

C.C. smiled when Lelouch used the Mind Link they established that morning to communicate with her. _'So you don't want your dear Euphemia to know what you're about to do? How noble'_

'_Shut up, witch. Activate the contract now while we still have the chance'_

'_Alright, but first you have to accept the conditions of the contract. It is this: In exchange for the transfer of the Power of Absolute Divinity from your sister to you, you agree to make my one wish come true. While living in the world among humans and hybrids, I shall live unlike any other. The power of the Divine will condemn you to a life of torment. Are you prepared for this?'_

'_I accept the terms of the contract' _C.C. floated up to Lelouch and, much to his surprise, kissed him.

'_Activate transfer of Code Geass: Zero'_ C.C.'s presence filled his mind as he felt his nervous network system being rewritten. Everything went white and Lelouch saw sketches of C.C. fading in and out blankness. Lelouch's adrenaline rushed as magic power flowed into him. Lelouch finally understood Nunnally's pain of all these years, a pain that could not be understood otherwise.

* * *

Nunnally's eyes, much to her surprise, glowed green and she suddenly felt elevated. It was as if warm hands came and released her soul from the chains of its cursed power. The Dragons drained less and less of her magic power, until she felt nothing at all. Once the glow faded; the sigils, the mark of Geass, along with all of its magic power, had disappeared. Nunnally felt empty, void. It was a hollow feeling.

'_Is this the feeling of freedom? Or is that just you, big Brother?'_

For once, Nunnally could see what a battlefield looked like. However, before she could see something that would rock the very foundation of her beliefs, her eyes were pulled towards Lelouch.

C.C. released him from what appeared to be a kiss. Lelouch opened his eyes, and Nunnally was the first thing his eyes fell on. Nunnally's shock was beyond words. The sigils, which previously marked her own eyes as the Geass user, now marked her brother's.

Nunnally felt saddened, yet happy at the same time. Her brother saved her, like he promised he would in her dream that morning. Nunnally felt blissful. She felt like she could entrust everything to her big brother. Nunnally was more than willing to embrace the warm blanket of sleep once it came to envelope. She gave her brother her most stunning and appreciative smile before she left on the ferry to Dream land.

Charles noticed Nunnally collapse, and a frown made its way on his face. He looked up to where C.C. had reached Lelouch, but to his surprise, he saw that they were doing what he considered something forbidden.

He grimaced as C.C.'s betrayal dawned on him. He knew that girl had dangerous ideas, and that she should have been kept on a tighter leash.

'_You've soiled the trust of the wrong man, girl'_

* * *

The power of Geass successfully transferred to Lelouch. He was the new bearer of the code of Absolute Divinity. Each of Lelouch's senses were searing with a burning pain as magic was being pulled from him. It was torture, but Lelouch would rather have himself endure this pain than Nunnally. It was not fair for Nunnally to carry such a burden of a power.

Suddenly Lelouch felt Euphemia slowly descended.

"Euphy?" Lelouch asked with a hoarse voice. Even speaking was difficult.

"I'm sorry, Lelouch. It looks like I used up all of my magical power." Euphemia's body began to glow and reverted back to its human form. Lelouch took Euphemia's body into his arms mid-air. His arms strained at the movement, but Lelouch tolerated the pain, for he wouldn't let his sister fall.

After a safe landing, she looked up at him. "Thank…" Her eyes widened when she saw that Lelouch's eyes were red, with the mark of Geass shining in his eyes. His body glowed slightly. It was the sign that magic the dragons were drawing magic from him. "Oh Lelouch, why?"

"Everything is for Nunnally's sake" Lelouch answered as he caught a tear that slid down Euphemia's cheek with his finger. Her hand found its way to his, and she squeezed it.

"Please be safe, Lulu." Sadness and concern filled Euphemia's plead.

"Thank you. No, no amount of 'thank you's' can express the gratitude I feel towards you. You have my eternal thanks, Euphemia" Lelouch squeezed her hand. With a satisfied smile, Euphemia drifted off into a blissful sleep.

Lelouch's eyed narrowed at the battlefield. It was no place for a sleeping Princess. Lelouch looked over at Suzaku, who was preoccupied with making Cornelia's life very difficult, since she couldn't manage to 'swipe the pesky fly'.

'_Asking for Suzaku's help was out of the question, so that only left,'_ Lelouch looked over at C.C., and the expression on his face told C.C. exactly what he wanted to ask.

"No. Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that just standing around is very taxing" Lelouch walked up to C.C., pressuring her.

"It's too troublesome, I don't want to. Besides, I used up a lot of magic in that last spell"

"It's one excuse after the other" Lelouch sighed. He scanned over the crowd until his eyes fell on two familiar faces. _'How did they get here? And why are they vendors? Does Milly know about this?'_ Several questions raced through Lelouch's mind. Not that any of the answers mattered, though. He was sure that those two could keep an eye on Euphemia. It's too bad that the Crane isn't nearby; otherwise they could have taken her to somewhere safer. Well, for now it looks like it's his only choice.

"Alright, fine. You don't have to watch Euphemia" Lelouch turned to C.C. "But you see those two animal-hybrids with the dumbstruck look on their faces?"

C.C. looked towards Lelouch pointed. The two people Lelouch was most likely referring to didn't look like animal-hybrids to her, probably because they were covering up their ears and tails well, but their dumbstruck expressions made them easily identifiable indeed. "Yes, I see them. What about them?"

"If you take Euphemia to them and ask tell them that Lelouch asked them to watch over her, I'm 96 percent certain that they would do it."

"Is that so?" C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Where did the other four percent go?"

"They may be scared out of their wits and won't be able to think straight."

"Yes, that is a possibility" C.C. let her gaze drift lazily to Euphemia in Lelouch's arms.

"Please hurry, I don't have a lot of time left, and my arms are tormenting me."

"Good." C.C. laughed "Then we know that the conditions of the contract are being fulfilled."

"Yes, but it won't get fulfilled anymore than that if I cannot focus all of my attention on the battle."

C.C. and Lelouch's staring contest lasted for a few seconds before C.C. finally gave in. "Fine, I'll take her your two animal companions."

Lelouch smirked at his victory when C.C. took Euphemia from his arms. "Much obliged."

"Save it." C.C. rolled her eyes. At this point, fulfilling her wish is slightly more important than her pride. Activating her Levitation Magic once more, C.C. flew towards the two dumbstruck hybrids.

* * *

After C.C. reached a safe distance, Lelouch turned his gaze towards the Emperor.

"Finally, the time for our confrontation has arrived, _father_" Lelouch said, glaring at the Emperor.

The Emperor returned the glare in kind. "What audacity you have to take away my treasure once more. You always were greedy and underhanded, Lelouch"

"I learned from the best" Lelouch smirked "I have come today to prevent you from ushering in a new age of malice and destruction. With the Power of Absolute Divinity, I shall make my words a reality!"

"You dare use my power against me?" Charles bellowed.

"What do you mean 'your power'? This power was never yours to begin with" Lelouch asserted, but, having talked enough, he set the penultimate phase of his plan into motion. He turned to look at the battles before him.

Odysseus and Guinevere were still standing strong, while Tohdoh's men had almost completely been drained of their energy. Kallen was holding out fine against Schneizel in their aerial battle, but Lelouch could see that Kallen's movements were becoming slower. His gaze shifted to Tohdoh, who had the upper hand over Carine. Most of the spikes on her tail had been shattered, leaving her tail broken and useless. Lastly, Lelouch looked at where Suzaku was fighting on equal footing with Cornelia. Normally this would have been an unprecedented phenomenon and Suzaku would be infamous for his monstrous strength and endurance, but it this case, it was more Cornelia's own impatience and irritation that would bring about her downfall.

"Suzaku," Lelouch called out to his Knight "Come here"

At his command, Suzaku deflected a blow from Cornelia, but used the force of it to propel himself backwards. "Yes, sir?" Suzaku skidded to a halt next to Lelouch.

"Let me look at your sword"

"Yes sir…" Suzaku did as he was told, and held his sword in front of Suzaku's face.

"Hm, yes a very effective sword indeed. So clear and polished, almost like a mirror" Lelouch lovingly stroke the blade.

"Lelouch…?"

Lelouch closed his eyes and exhales slowly. _'Finally, it is time for me to reclaim my other form'_ he opened his eyes once more, and stared at his own eyes refelcted in the blade. As he planned, the Geass sigils were fooled by the eyes of the royal in the reflection, and activated. However, the magic bounced back against the sword, and into Lelouch's eyes.

Lelouch's eyes glowed bright purple as his body began to morph. All activity around him stopped as all everyone looked on in awe at the Dark Prince's transformation into a dragon. Fear-inspiring dark-purple scales covered his body. When Lelouch held his majestic black wings in the sun, it shone with a mesmerizing purple hue.

"Lelouch" Suzaku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, and looked up at Lelouch's amethyst eyes.

Lelouch lifted off from the ground, his every wing beat graceful and dignified. It quelled all the hateful voices that had been too eager to speak out their revulsion earlier. An eerie silence filled the arena as the Dragon of Darkness began to speak.

"Behold, citizens of Avalon, the power that the Royal Dragon Clan feared…"

Lelouch picked up speed as he flew towards Odysseus. Odysseus, noticing the oncoming attacker, prepared his wings for defence, holding it as a shield before him. However, thanks to the efforts of the Sugiyama's Magician Squad, Odysseus's Wing Shield was easy pickings for Lelouch. The Dragon of Darkness engulfed his body in darkness and, after piercing Odysseus's wings, head butted him in the gut, sending him crashing into the ground. Lelouch experienced minor recoil, but it was nothing a shake of his head couldn't take care of.

"…The Clan feared it so; that they were willing to bind and chain me in an attempt to defeat me with their advantage in numbers…"

Lelouch set his eyes on Guinevere next. Guinevere had noticed her younger brother's dramatic performance, but she didn't see him as much of a threat, so she returned her attention to the worn out and beaten men before her. She readied her claws and, with one beat of her wings, charged forward. Lelouch was faster, much to her surprise, and appeared in front of her before she could reach Tamaki's unit. Lelouch stopped her with his bare claws, and after swinging Guinevere in a circle a few times, he let her go, sending her crashing against the wall of the pavilion.

"…By killing me, they would set an example of what will happen to all those who show resistance against Avalon's corrupt monarchy, thereby discouraging intervention and reform…"

Following Guinevere was Carine. Tohdoh had already dealt a great deal of damage to her, so she had no time to pay attention to Lelouch. Lelouch thought that it was the ideal opportunity to launch a surprise attack, but the look Tohdoh shot him told Lelouch loud and clear to stay out of the fight. Lelouch smiled at how it was so like Tohdoh to decline the assistance of others during his battles. Tohdoh provoked Carine by bringing into question her tail's effectiveness in battle. She fell for his trap and violently charged forward and swung her tail at him. Tohdoh side-stepped the attack, and with deadly precision, cut off Carine's tail, leaving her screaming and wailing in pain.

'…However, the spirit of rebellion shall not be crushed. I, along with the help I have received today, which I am ever grateful for, will foil the Emperor's plans once more."

Lelouch's next target was Cornelia, who, for all the noteworthy injuries she received, was still holding strong against Suzaku. Lelouch, form where was flying in the sky, took a nose dive towards the fight below him.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch shouted, and Suzaku looked up at the Dragon who was closing in on him. "Cornelia is almost finished, let's end this in one last blow!" Suzaku nodded, eagerly gripping his sword. The thought of fighting with Lelouch made him excited.

Cornelia though, was less excited. "Why you insolent…! How dare you underestimate me?!" Cornelia gathered a large amount of the remainder of her magic and released it as a powerful roar. Lelouch swept in just in time for Suzaku to jump on his back and for the Dragon of Darkness to ascend once more, dodging the attack.

"Suzaku, I need you to trust me on this. Will you?" Suzaku's eyes widened at Lelouch's request before chuckling.

"Is that something you even need to ask?" Lelouch smiled at Suzaku's admirable devotion, and explained the plan to Suzaku.

Suzaku nodded his head, indicating that he understood the plan. Once Lelouch was close enough to Cornelia, Suzaku jumped off of Lelouch, ready to strike her down with his last sword attack. Lelouch also gathered magic in his mouth and released it as a roar. The magic didn't target Cornelia though, but Suzaku's sword. With expert magical control, Lelouch's magic infused with Suzaku's sword, bestowing upon him enough power to pierce Cornelia's armour-like chest.

Cornelia collapsed before Suzaku, and he looked up with childlike pride at Lelouch, showing him a thumb up. Lelouch smiled affectionately at Suzaku and returned the gesture.

'_That leaves only one left' _Lelouch looked up to where Schneizel and Kallen were battling in the sky and lifted off towards them

"Hello, fancy meeting you here." Lelouch greeted as he joined Kallen in the sky. "Need a hand?"

"Stay out of this Lelouch. After I have dealt with the 2nd Prince here, I'm coming after you." Kallen said as she attacked with her fire-engulfed wings, but Schneizel easily dodged it and released a roar that she barely managed to dodge.

"Ah yes I see you're faring very well against him"

"I told you to stay out of this!" Kallen punched Schneizel with her Flaming Fist, but he merely blocked it with his own defence magic-enhanced claws.

"Very well, I'll just stay here until you admit that you need some help" Unlike Tohdoh, who was facing the 2nd weakest of the group of dragons, Lelouch didn't trust that Kallen, despite being a dragon, will be able to handle Schneizel alone. If it was Lelouch, he would have asked for Kallen's help as well. It would just take the stubborn crimson dragon a while to realise this.

"Tsk" Kallen clicked her tongue in annoyance; both the brothers were so annoying: Lelouch, for insisting that he would help, and Schneizel, for being so ridiculously overpowered that he could send her spiralling with one whip of his tail. It was painful to admit it, but Kallen wouldn't be able to face this beast alone.

"Alright, alright, help me!" Kallen shouted over her shoulder.

"That's how you ask someone for a favour?" Lelouch smirked at the annoyance in Kallen's face. It was fun pulling her soul out. _'Is this how C.C. feels when talking to her victims?' _Lelouch couldn't help but wonder.

"Please help me, oh gracious Dark Prince" Kallen asked, with slight sincerity, and a bow of her head. Lelouch accepted the half-hearted request. He was sure that it took two months worth of pride for her to have done that.

"Very well. You attack him with everything you've got, and I'll aim for the same injury"

Kallen nodded. It was a simple enough plan. They both set their sights on Schneizel.

"Lelouch, I'm impressed that you have made it this far. It is as expected of my younger brother."

"Don't flatter yourself, Schneizel. We both know you only pretend to care for me, otherwise you wouldn't have bound and chained me like that."

"It was all for the sake of the greater good, Lelouch. You had to repent for your crimes of eight years ago. I was merely carrying out justice"

"What justice? By killing me, you fall to my level, and are no better than me who killed Clovis eight years ago." _'That's what Euphemia would say'_ Lelouch wanted to add.

"You got that from our ever-forgiving little sister Euphy, didn't you?" Lelouch's eyes widened and he looked up at Schneizel. "Oh don't look so surprised. I know she always had a soft spot for you, and that she helped you earlier in this fight. Do not expect the Emperor to stay quiet about her betrayal."

Lelouch smirked. "I won't let that happen. By the end of today, the Emperor will have no more power to throw around anymore, and neither will you."

"What do you mean?"

"He means that you shouldn't lose sight of your enemies during battle!" Kallen shouted. She came from behind and, with her fire-engulfed fangs bit into Schneizel's neck. _'You owe me a battle for this, Lelouch'_

Schneizel roared in pain and try to shake Kallen off. By the time he managed to deliver a powerful blow and send her crashing into the ground below, Lelouch had already gathered most of his power. Many shadows swirled in Lelouch's mouth, coming together to form a black sphere. With one thrust of his head, Lelouch released the Shadow Sphere. It hit Schneizel in the exact place where Kallen's fangs had pierced him, intensifying the pain. Lelouch didn't stop there though. He dodged Schneizel's Light Tail Whip, and released two more consecutive Shadow Spheres that hit the 2nd Prince in the same spot as the first Sphere.

'_dammit'_ Schneizel cursed as his vision began to fade, the last thing he saw was Lelouch coming in to kick him, sending him crashing into the ground.

With all five dragons defeated and unable to draw the power to sustain their Dragon Forms, they reverted back to their human forms. The sixth, Euphemia, was in the care of Rivalz and Shirley. This allowed Lelouch to enter the final phase of his plan. He turned to address the crowd once more.

"Behold; this is the power of Zero: the use of the Code of Absolute Divinity in a way that invites destruction of a world where the strong oppress the weak, and the creation of a peaceful world where everyone is equal." Lelouch turned to face the Emperor

"Your children, whose fighting abilities you had put so much trust in, have lost. Surrender now or suffer the same fate" he proposed an ultimatum.

Charles glared at his rebellious* son before looking over the remnants of the battlefield. Cornelia and Schneizel, his two favourite children, had lost at the hands of their younger brother. It seems that he had underestimated Lelouch. However, there was still one fatal flaw in his son's plan.

"Why would I surrender if I can just look into your eyes and become a dragon myself?" Charles bellowed and looked into Lelouch's eyes. However the violet glow of his eyes completely concealed the Geass sigil, making it impossible for Charles to transform. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It is your own fault for failing to make a move when it mattered. You were so confident in your own children's success that you didn't even think about interfering yourself. Now that said children are defeated, you feel you need to step in. But now, it is too late. You are unable to see the Geass mark in my eyes while I am in my Dragon Form. "

Charles frantically looked around for a way to escape. He eyed the door behind him, behind which lay the staircase which goes down into the corridor which leads into the castle. Charles looked back at Lelouch, who was closing in on him. Charles knew when he was at a disadvantage, but that doesn't mean he'll give up that easily. He just needed a window of opportunity through which he can retreat.

Lelouch noticed the old man looking for a way to escape and pitied him. "Trying to escape punishment? Wasn't today a 'Day of Judgement'?" Lelouch sassed as he lifted up his claw, preparing to bring it down on Charles. "You won't be spared long enough to even live to try it!"

Lelouch brought his claw down on Charles, clawing through the shadows as he did. Charles face grew pale with fear as he prepared for impact, but just before Lelouch's claws made contact with Charles, Lelouch's claw stopped. The sudden halt caused some of the shadows to do a whiplash, almost cutting through the skin on Charles face.

"- Is what I'd like to say" Lelouch said, withdrawing his claw. "However, it seems that Euphemia's words have reached a deeper place than I would've liked. I want to stop this endless cycle of violence and hate"

"What's this?" Charles laughed "It seems that you have gone soft. How can you change the world if you are afraid to sacrifice a few lives?"

"I…" Lelouch started but Charles didn't even bother to wait for Lelouch's answer as he turned on his heel and bolted through the door.

"You'll regret sparing me, Lelouch!" Charles called back as he flew down the stairs.

"As cowardly and as rude as ever I see" Lelouch sighed. "Suzaku" he called to his Knight over his shoulder. "Follow that man, and don't let him escape."

"Yes sir. Am I allowed to incapacitate him?"

"Do what you like, just keep him alive."

"Yes sir." Suzaku said and bolted after the Emperor.

Lelouch turned to face Tohdoh, whose troops were busy chaining up all the unconscious Royals.

"I trust you have everything under control here?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, leave the clean up to us. You have done your part in helping my men, and as a show of my gratitude, I shall not pursue you for the time being." The leader of the resistance group said.

"It's an honour to have your thanks, though I am in your gratitude as well. Your helped meant a lot to me."

"It wasn't really that much trouble. We had a mutual enemy, after all."

"Then I will be counting on your help for the rounding up of the Royals."

"Of course, leave it us"

Lelouch nodded and Tohdoh turned to join his men once more. Lelouch sighed. He felt tired and drained of his magical power. No longer being able to uphold his Dragon Form, Lelouch started to revert back to a human.

"You really spared no expense going out against the Dragons, did you? You used the full extent of Zero's power, and now you have no power left." C.C. joined Lelouch where he was standing in front of the corridor which led into the castle.

"It's fine, I understand that the transfer of Codes and the power of Zero was only temporary. I won't need my Dragon form for the next part of my plan."

"Oh, how confident you are. Do you need back-up?"

"I've already sent in Suzaku, so it won't be necessary. But you being you, I'm sure you'd be too curious and be a fly on the wall anyway."

"How demeaning, calling me a fly! But you're not too far off the mark. You know me well, after all." C.C. laughed.

Lelouch ignored C.C.'s quip and started into the castle. This will be the final confrontation. Lelouch was sure that he would be successful in his creation of a new world of peaceful equality, but he couldn't risk underestimating his father. Lelouch had to stay weary of his father and his charismatic ways, since Charles had a way of swaying people to his side and leading them down the path of destruction. Lelouch vowed never to go down that road again, for the sake of his loved ones.

Now, the moment of truth is upon them; the Emperor and the Black Prince.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**A/N: **Here you go, Maelstrom Part 2! Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'm apologize once again for the delay in updating the two-part climax, which turns out is going to be three parts after all hehe... ^.^"

A special shout out thank you to** Diedara4ever **and **InsanePurpleLove and a **

Normal shout out thank you to **all** who read/ favorited and followed.

Once again thank you to my lovely and hardworking beta, **Icy-Kitty117**


	13. Maelstrom Part 3: Shall set you free

**Disclaimer:** I do not, have not, and never will own Code Geass (Probably T.T)

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 13 Maelstrom Part 3: The Truth Shall Set You Free.

"_Suzaku" Lelouch called to his Knight over his shoulder. "Follow that man, and don't let him escape."_

"_Yes sir. Am I allowed to incapacitate him?"_

"_Do what you like, just keep him alive."_

"_Yes sir." Suzaku said and bolted after the Emperor._

Suzaku ran through the hallways of the castle, careful not to lose sight of his target. The Emperor rounded a corner, disappearing out of sight.

'_Pretty fast for an old man'_ Suzaku thought as he rounded the same corner, and the Emperor came into view again. _'Luckily I'm faster, so I won't lose him that easily. That's a good thing, since I don't know this castle well and would have easily gotten lost on my own. Geez that Lelouch…he must be pretty confident in my athletic skills.'_

Suzaku was careful not to get annoyed with Lelouch and his calculations, and returned his focus to the man in front of him. _'Still, where is that old man going? He might be heading toward a secret passage somewhere. If that's the case, I have to stop him before he gets there.'_ Suzaku thought and shifted into high gear, accelerating.

Suzaku drifted around a corner and avoided crashing into tumbling metal armor. _'That's why mom said never to run in the house…no that's not right, focus!' _Suzaku scolded himself.

He saw the old man running down a hall lined with medieval knight armor suits. The Emperor knocked the suits down one by one, blocking Suzaku's path.

"You underestimate me, geezer." Suzaku smirked. He smoothly moved forward in a zigzag-fashion, avoiding the collapsing armor suits. "That is far enough!" Suzaku was in striking range of the Emperor when the Emperor pulled out a paper talisman.

"Don't think that you've already won, brat." Charles activated the talisman, which had the kanji for 'life' written on it. The different pieces of armor began to glow and levitated before assembling themselves.

"What…is the meaning of this?" Suzaku was dumbstruck. The eyes of the knights began to glow.

"I have to thank C.C. later on for giving me this talisman." Charles gave a confident smile, looking at the talisman.

"Tsk" Suzaku cursed. "I'm not afraid of your ol' tinplate toys!" Suzaku drew his sword and switched over to using the sharp end of his blade. He slashed through the armors that came to attack him. However, no matter how many times Suzaku slashed the armors into tiny bits and pieces, they kept reassembling.

"Stop this foolish fighting, boy. If you manage to harm me here, it will be a declaration of war of your people against mine." Charles threatened.

Suzaku paused mid-step. "A declaration of war against my people, you say?" There was another pause. "It's a shame, but that's impossible, since I don't have any people left that you can declare war against. Because you see," Suzaku sensed an armor suit coming from behind, and pointed his sword backwards, stabbing it at the hip joints, causing the legs to detach from the main body and completely collapse. Suzaku looked up at Charles, eyes hot with fury. "You already killed them long ago."

Sensing the young man's blood lust, Charles summoned up more knights. "I already killed them?"

"That's right. I'm not surprised you can't remember. After all, I don't expect someone like you to keep a headcount of all the people which your atrocious rule killed." Suzaku continued cutting down the armors without exerting too much effort.

"Enlighten me, young knight. Who were your people?"

"Why would you want to know? It's not like you'll take responsibility anyway."

There was a slight pause. "I understand. I'm not interested in those 'I don't keep a headcount of', after all."

"You bast*rd" Suzaku hissed, cutting down more armors. "How dare you belittle my people? If you want to know so badly, I'll tell you."

"No. Don't force yourself for the sake of your hated enemy." Charles was already turning away.

"Listen to what I have to say." Suzaku took a few armor plates and threw it. It landed in front of Charles, effectively stopping him. Charles turned to face Suzaku. As soon as he regained his breath, the young knight started. "It happened eight years ago, when Prince Lelouch escaped the castle with Nunnally. The Britannia Dragon Clan sent pursuers after him, and they passed over a small, what you would probably call 'insignificant', village. There the Dragon Knights used the villagers' lives as ransom for Nunnally. It was a difficult choice, but Lelouch chose Nunnally. That led to the dragon knights destroying my village."

"They are the people your subordinates indiscriminately killed. That is why I said before that I have no more of my own people left who you can harm. Now, the only person I am affiliated with is Lelouch, and he's already in the middle of a second rebellion, so you can't use the threat of war against me now."

"Why?" the Emperor asked, and temporarily stopped the assembled knight armors from attacking. "Why would you ally yourself with the one that is responsible for your village's destruction?"

"Are you going deaf, old man? It's your fault for sending the pursuers after him in the first place. It's your dragon knights' fault for bribing Lelouch with the destruction of an innocent, what you would call 'insignificant', village."

"Still, if Lelouch never rebelled, then your people would still be alive today."

"Don't try to lead me down that path of thinking. I've been there already. Since the start I promised Lelouch that I would become his knight and help him save Nunnally. After learning the truth and endlessly thinking about it, I came to the only conclusion possible. I decided that I will fight for Lelouch, regardless of what happened in the past. I intend to see the promise I made through to the end, after all."

Charles sighed. "You are wasting your loyalty on Lelouch. I could use someone like you in my clan."

"Not in this life, thank you. I will never ally myself with my family's murderers."

"Not in this life, you say? That's a shame." Charles laughed. He had used all the magic power stored in the talisman and it disintegrated into tiny specs of light. The knights froze, but Charles remained unfazed. He walked over to one of the metal knight statues and took its spear. "Well then, I look forward to the life where we will work together." Charles launched forward, spear poised and ready to draw blood.

"Like I said; no thank you!" Suzaku parried the spear with his sword. Charles angled his spear and let Suzaku's sword slid past it. Charles moved forward and managed to slip past Suzaku. Suzaku lost his balance and fell to the ground. Charles used Suzaku's temporary lapse as a window of opportunity to disappear into the labyrinth that was the castle's hallways.

"Damn old man!" Suzaku exclaimed as he rose to his feet. "Don't think you've escape!"*

* * *

"I told you it's not necessary to follow me!"

C.C., who was flying closely behind Lelouch, smiled. "Oh don't mind me. I'm just a fly on the wall, right?"

Lelouch grimaced. _'Curse C.C. for using my own words against me like that.' _"Fine, just don't interfere."

"Are you sure? My magic can help greatly. You should know."

"It's fine. I'm grateful for your help thus far, but I want to do this on my own."

C.C. sighed. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be here."

Lelouch gave C.C. a grateful smile. "Thank you, but I won't."

C.C. merely shrugged her shoulders and Lelouch rounded a corner, and came to an immediate stop. Surprised, C.C. almost bumped into Lelouch.

"Geez, don't you have brake lights or something? Warn me before you stop." C.C. was slightly annoyed when Lelouch didn't answer her and she flew around him. She looked at the scene before them. Bits and pieces of breastplates, helms, leg plates and pauldrons laid scattered about the floor; the remnants of a recently fought battle.

"What happened here?" Lelouch wondered.

C.C. narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the air, taking a deep breath in and out. "There's a magic residue in the air." She noted.

"Magic? Whose? I don't remember Charles having any magical power, never mind Suzaku."

"No, it's not their magic. It's mine."

"Yours?"

"Yes. This magic is from the use of the 'Life' talisman. It has the power to bring inanimate objects to life. It must have been Charles."

"You gave him a talisman?" Lelouch asked, surprised.

"Of course, I couldn't exactly say no. I had to make him believe that I was still on his side."

Lelouch couldn't argue. C.C. made the correct decision given their situation. _'So that old man has a few tricks up his sleeve? I'll have to be even more careful than I thought.'_

The sound of metal clanging could be heard not too far away.

"They must still be nearby. Let's go." Lelouch said and set off once more, navigating his way through the pieces of metal.

"'Us'? So now you want me to go together to you? You sure do whatever is most convenient for you, don't you, Lelouch?" C.C. was a bit dissatisfied, but followed after Lelouch anyway.

* * *

"_Damn old man!" Suzaku exclaimed as he rose to his feet. "Don't think you've escape!"_

Charles heard the youth yell behind him. Charles admitted that he admired the young man's youthful spirit, but it would not help him in this battle of wits where experience will ultimately win.

Charles, still with his spear in hand, stopped suddenly. Suzaku, at full speed, ran straight past Charles but immediately braked, leaving a slight trail of smoke. He spun around just in time to see the head of the Charles's spear aiming to decapitate him.

The spear slightly grazed Suzaku's cheek when he angled his head to the side, missing the rest of the head by a millimetre. _'I don't think I've ever been so grateful for my reflexes.'_ Suzaku thought, holding his breath. Exhaling, his focus sharpened and he aimed to attack Charles side which he had left open.

Charles saw the change in Suzaku's expression and immediately knew what he was up to. Swiftly bringing his spear to his side, Charles parried Suzaku's sword. "Did you think I would leave myself open? You're naïve, boy!" Charles continued trading blows with Suzaku. After a powerful blow, Suzaku was sent flying into the wall.

Suzaku blinked the stars in front of his eyes away. _'Damn that old man. Lelouch didn't tell me he'd be so tough.' _It dissatisfied Suzaku, but he didn't dare say it out loud.

Charles took out four talismans and held it between his fingers. "Thorns" he said as he threw the four glowing talismans, pinning Suzaku to the wall. Charles poised the spear's head to Suzaku's throat.

"You have bothered me for long enough. I'm through with playing your little game of tag. This is where you meet your maker." The tip of the spear began to glow.

Suzaku noticed that the spear had a strengthening talisman attacked to it. _'Isn't the head sharp enough already?' _Suzaku wondered. _'No, that's not important now. Sh*t, he got me. If I don't do something now, it's over for me. And I can't let it end here.'_ The wheels in Suzaku's head were turning at full speed, sieving through possible ways to stall or escape. Soon an idea formed in Suzaku's head.

"Wait, your Excellency."

Charles eyes narrowed. The change in Suzaku's way of addressing him didn't miss catching the Emperor's attention.

"May I please make one final request?"

Charles contemplated it for a moment, suspicious. "You may." He agreed. "Go ahead."

"You are most merciful, you Excellencyr. Then, please tell me; what happened that night when Lelouch and Nunnally escaped from the Castle?"

"I already explained everything in the Arena. I'm sure you were present and heard the story."

"I don't believe that that was the whole story. There's something you're obviously hiding from the public. I want to know what."

"There's a reason I didn't reveal it to the public. It could cause numerous nuisances to occur. Why would I reveal it to you?"

"Because I will take the truth of what happened to the grave with me."

Charles stayed silent. _'I can't really deny the boy's request, since the boy cannot harm me in his present state. The most he is probably hoping for is to stall for time. Not that it will amount to anything in the end. Let whoever is coming come.'_ "Is that your final request?"

Suzaku nodded. Charles sighed and pulled his spear back. "Very well," he started. "I suppose it will do no harm in telling you."

"On that night, Marianne, Lelouch and Nunnally's mother, who was the previous bearer of the Code of Absolute Divinity, died. Nunnally immediately inherited the Code, and the Dragons began to draw power from her. Afraid that Nunnally's life would end in the same way as her mother's; Lelouch came in, stole her, and ungraciously left the castle."

Suzaku waited for a moment for the Emperor to continue, but he never did. "That's it? It can't be. Why did Marianne die? And how did Lelouch manage to escape?"

"I don't understand what the significance of that is, but the answers are simple. Marianne died due to the loss of power, and I already explained how Lelouch escaped; it was after he killed Clovis."

"Is that the truth? Did Lelouch really kill Clovis?" Suzaku didn't want to believe it. He did not want to believe that the one he admired and followed killed his own brother.

* * *

C.C. was flying ahead of Lelouch, tracking the trail of the magic residue to its user.

"It is taking us longer than I expected to catch up with them. I didn't think that they would be that far ahead."

"They certainly moved, I can tell you that much. I can feel the magic residue lingering among these halls, meaning that they continuously fought as they moved."

"Did Charles use more talismans?"

"Yes, but only strengthening and speed talismans meant to increase the specs of a weapon. For example he would use strengthening on a sword."

"Why would he strengthen a sword? Isn't the sharpness of the blades enough?"

"It is, but it will be meaningless if the weapon breaks mid-battle, correct? That's the Emperor's logic. He gives his opponents hell trying to deal with only one weapon while continuously strengthening it. He possibly does it without the opponent even noticing it at first."

"How annoying. No wonder it is taking Suzaku so long. I will be sure to deal with Charles as soon as I-"

"That moment might come sooner than you think."

"Wha-"

"Shh." C.C. hushed Lelouch. "Listen." She said. Lelouch did so, and heard two voices coming from around the corner. Once was unquestionably the Emperor's, and the other was just as familiar.

"Suzaku" Lelouch breathed.

"Right." C.C. said as she conjured up a talisman. "Mirror" she whispered and the talisman glowed. When the glow faded, the talisman reflected what it saw. C.C. held it out in front of her, enough for them both to see what was going on in the hallway.

Lelouch's anger flared when he saw Suzaku pinned to the wall. He wanted to go and help him, but C.C. caught his wrist, holding him in place. "Wait a minute." She insisted. It was difficult, but after seeing the serious expression in C.C.'s eyes, Lelouch calmed himself and listened.

"…the truth? Did Lelouch really kill Clovis?"

'_Why is Suzaku asking such a thing?' _Lelouch wondered, troubled. _'Suzaku probably doesn't want to believe that I could kill my own flesh and blood. Well, neither can I, but it's true. As difficult as it is to accept, it is the truth. And Charles will only affirm that truth now.'_

"Actually…" Lelouch heard his father say. "I suppose that is a bit of a lie."

"What?"

'_What?' _Lelouch thought simultaneously with Suzaku exclamation.

"After Marianne's death, Lelouch rebelled and incited a riot. He stirred up the people of my court to vote against the code to prevent further deaths of Code Bearers. The court was split in two. The one half was for the use of the code, and the other against it. I couldn't afford to lose support, so during the confusion I killed Clovis and blamed it on Lelouch."

"You framed him?!" Suzaku asked angrily.

"That's right. Nobody would support a hypocrite who claims to want to save the Royals, but kills them himself."

"And you made all the nobles believe that?"

"Clovis's body and my word were proof enough. The murder gave me enough reason to exile Lelouch. What I didn't expect was that he would take Nunnally with him. The nobles questioned this negligence, and I said that the murder was a cover to steal Nunnally. I promised them I would find and return the Code Bearer, and I did."

"You bast-"

"So that's how it is?" Charles and Suzaku both looked at where the voice came from down the hall. Lelouch stepped around the corner and into the hallway.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku called out happily, but Lelouch merely glanced at him before going straight to Charles.

"What are you trying to gain from telling Suzaku these lies?"

"They are not lies, Lelouch." Charles said calmly.

Lelouch clenched his fists. "Then why do I have memories of slaying Clovis? I remember it clearly…the stained sword…the blood on my hands…Clovis's unmoving body. Are you saying that those were all lies?! Don't mess with my head, old man!"

"It wasn't me who messed with your head, Lelouch." His son's reactions amused Charles thus far, but he still had more to look forward to. "Isn't that right, C.C.?"

"C.C.?" Lelouch looked over at C.C., who had been unusually quiet the past few minutes. Normally she couldn't wait to put in her two cents.

"Tell him happened, C.C." Charles coaxed the green-haired witch. "Tell him how you messed with his head." C.C. looked down for a moment before looking up at Lelouch.

"It's true. I saw everything that happened that night; from Marianne's death to Nunnally inheriting the code and to you, Lelouch. It is as Charles said. He was afraid of losing the support of his people, so he devised a plan. He roped me into it. I was ordered to use my magic to overwrite a piece of your memories of that night; the part of you killing Clovis."

"You yourself believed that you killed Clovis, so you didn't deny it when Charles accused you. Thus, the Emperor got away with framing you, and with killing Clovis."

"So everything was a lie?" Lelouch looked at his trembling hands. "How do I know what is real and what is fake now?" His voice broke.

"Oh don't be so dramatic. I just told you I only changed that small part of your memory, nothing else."

"It isn't a small part! Do you know the guilt I walked around with these last eight years? The guilt I felt whenever I thought about Euphemia and Cornelia, whenever I talked to them, only to find out that it was all for nothing!"

"It wasn't all for nothing. You may not realize it, but those memories helped you. You, who don't like shedding blood, had the blood of a dear relative on your hands. That guilt kept your moral compass in check. You don't want to hurt anyone else ever again, right?"

Lelouch raised his head as C.C. words formed a coherent whole in his head. Her words kept him from falling into the pit of despair. It reminded him of his purpose in life, which is to protect his loved ones.

"I could've overwritten a lot more and given you memories of a false life, but I didn't. So quit being a baby about it." C.C. drove the message home, and Lelouch straightened up.

"Well," Lelouch smirked. "I must say that, although it is a big surprise, it is an even greater relief. It feels as if a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I am finally free to honestly look dear Euphy and Cornelia in their eyes again. For that I must thank you, soon-to-be-dethroned _Emperor_."

"Don't get cheeky, brat. You still have many ways to go before taking the throne from me."

"How long are you going to cling to the illusion that you still hold power over this country? The vanguard of your army is gone, and you were never one to believe in back-up. Your over-confidence will be your downfall."

"I could say the same to you, my son. Where do you think you get all your bravado from?"

"Enough talking. I'll have you take responsibility for all your crimes." Lelouch looked over at Suzaku. "How long are you planning on being pinned down like that? It's pathetic."

Suzaku blinked, realising that Lelouch had just insulted him. "Hey, I was just trying to buy time for you to catch up. I can escape anytime I want." Suzaku clenched his fists and tried to break free from the thorns, but it was stronger than he suspected. Suzaku tried to free himself once more, but failed.

"C.C., your contract has not yet been fulfilled, has it?"

"No, it hasn't."

"Then you are still my ally. Would you mind freeing Suzaku?"

"Not really." C.C said and dispelled the talismans. The thorns disappeared, freeing Suzaku.

"Thanks. You help me out a lot." Suzaku gave a slight bow of his head.

"I don't really mind you sticking me for a pizza as a thank you gift, but right now we don't have time for that. Look." C.C. pointed to where Charles was getting further and further away.

"Impressive. How does his old body handle all of that physical stress?" Suzaku wondered out loud. Lelouch grimaced.

"We can question his health later. Right now we can't lose him. After him Suzaku, and don't let him escape this time!"

"Yes, sir!" Suzaku saluted as he sprinted after Charles.

"It's like you're playing fetch. Is he your knight or your dog?" C.C. wondered aloud.

"Don't ask stupid questions. The battle isn't over yet. Let's go after him." Lelouch said as he followed after Suzaku. C.C. followed close behind.

"Want me to get you a collar for him?"

"That won't be necessary." Is what Lelouch said, but he still couldn't help imagining Suzaku with a collar around his neck. Suzaku looked embarrassingly adorable, and it made Lelouch feel oddly possessive. _'No focus! There's a time and place for everything, and now's the time for battle.'_

* * *

"Are you prepared for this, Lelouch? Your next meeting with the Emperor will be your last." C.C. asked as she and Lelouch headed in the direction of the throne room.

"What are you asking? I was prepared ever since I arrived."

"That's not what it looked like to me. You were completely paralyzed after the Emperor dropped the bomb of the truth behind Clovis's murder on you."

"That was…" Lelouch looked away. It was true that the news shocked him, but who wouldn't be? "It's okay. I won't let the old man catch me by surprise again."

"Good, as long as you're prepared for anything. Remember, now will be your only chance to make my wish come true."

"Defeat the Emperor and disband the Britannia clan, correct?"

"Yes. Once you defeat the Emperor, I will be free from my duty to the clan."

"You will take the Code of Absolute Divinity with you-"

"Along with it your ability to transform into dragons."

"That's fine. We won't need it in the new age."

"Thank you, Lelouch."

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until after the Emperor lies at your feet."

C.C. smiled. _'You have no idea how much your help means to me. I have wished for a saviour for long, long time. Someone to release me from these chains of servitude, but no one ever tried to help me. To them, I was only a slave; just like the code bearers themselves. The first person to look my way earnestly was Marianne. We didn't get along at first, but she was the first person who cared for me. But due to her position, she couldn't help me. As if by miracle, her son turned out to be the one who would save me.'_

C.C. looked at the firm determination in Lelouch's eyes. His aura was steady and calm, yet lethal. His eyes glinted dangerously. _'Oh? He must have found some new resolve. You're more alike than you think, Marianne.'_

* * *

Suzaku came to a stop when he reached an empty hall. _'The Emperor…disappeared?'_ Suzaku looked around and saw that the hall he was in had ridiculously fancy doors with the Britannia crest, at the end_. 'That must be the throne room.'_

Suzaku headed towards the throne room, but soon found himself flying. Something powerful shoved him from behind, and he soon crashed into the throne room's doors, completely destroying it.

Suzaku tried to shoo the birdies flying around his head away. As soon as the last one left, Suzaku looked up at the Emperor who had made his way into the throne room. Suzaku saw the talisman in his hand disappearing.

"One Talisman used two talismans left."

"Only two?" Suzaku parroted. "Thank goodness. Those talismans are a pain to deal with." Suzaku stood up and sheathed his sword. His next technique would be a sword-drawing technique. "Don't hold back." Suzaku smirked.

The Emperor looked down at his two talismans and sighed. He put them away.

"What?" Suzaku said, confused. "Have you decided to give up?"

"No," Charles answered as he gripped his spear "I realized that it won't be necessary for me to use a talisman to defeat you. I didn't get the chance to kill you earlier with this spear. I granted your dying wish, so the only thing left for you to do is die."

"I decided against it. I want to live a bit longer after all."

"It's too late for that, boy!" Charles snapped as he launched forward, once more ready to behead Suzaku.

Suzaku, without missing a beat, sidestepped and avoided the attack. He drew his sword faster than the normal eye can see. Elegantly like a tiger, Suzaku swiftly attacked his prey. A few steps further, Suzaku sheathed his sword again.

The Emperor fell to his knees. A pool of blood formed underneath him. His eyes constricted with terror. "What…what have you done? You…you brat!" Charles stood up and attempted to retaliate, but fell to his knees immediately. Afraid of what he would see, Charles looked down at his legs and saw that the Suzaku had sliced through the back of his knees.

"If Lelouch didn't specifically say to keep you alive, that attack would have killed you. So I thought that keeping you from running away again is the least that I can do." Suzaku stepped around the Emperor and pointed his sword to the Emperor's throat. "At least for now."

"How dare you point that sword against me?!" the Emperor spat.

"This sword? What are you talking about?"

"That…that sword is the one that I used to kill Clovis!"

A shocked expression made its way to Suzaku's face. "How is that possible? I found this sword at an arms dealer in the port town of Agulhas. There's no way it could be yours!"

'There is. As part of framing Lelouch, I gave him that sword. He must have dumped it somewhere along the road during his escape. The sword must have found its way to that dealer, from the dealer to you, and now back to me." Charles laughed, though the sound was empty and hollow. It echoed against the throne room's walls, creating an eerie, otherworldly song.

* * *

"Oh the games Fate loves to play." Lelouch walked into the throne room while C.C. lingered at the entrance of the room, hovering above the scattered pieces of wood and gold.

"She loves bringing things full circle. You can't escape from your past; you have to take responsibility for it. So now…" Lelouch took the sword from Suzaku and pointed it towards the Emperor's throat. "Fate had bestowed upon me the privilege of making you take responsibility for what you did with this sword. The sword you used to kill my brother, frame me for it, and exiled me because of it."

Charles gritted his teeth. _'I cannot afford to lose here. My country will not fall at the hands of a few rebels. This is but a minor setback.'_ He felt around in his pocket for a talisman.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Charles warned. "You are but a former prince. Even if you manage to defeat me, the country already despises you. There's nothing you can do to change it. You will forever live on as the 'Black Prince', the hated exile of Britannia."

Charles pulled a talisman out of his pocket and pointed it towards Lelouch and the others.

C.C. recognised the talisman and her eyes widened. _'Oh no, this is bad.'_

"Everyone, close your eyes!"

"What?" Lelouch and Suzaku asked in unison.

"Blind!" Charles shouted, and the talisman activated, creating a bright light. Suzaku closed his eyes, but Lelouch didn't.

"It's always been this," Lelouch whispered as he tried to focus on the Emperor's frame through the blinding light. It felt as if a thousand little pins pricked his eyes. The only thing keeping Lelouch from crying out in pain and closing his eyes was his sense of injustice. "You've always obsessed over eyes. Your favourite children would be determined by how close their eye colour was to your own. It was through eyes that the power of Geass could be transferred, and you found it irresistible. 'Peer into the eyes and you shall have power.' However, that power also took my mother and almost my sister away from me. Your only desire was power, come what may."

"Lelouch, your senseless talking amounts to nothing."

"Regardless, I feel that I understand what Fate wanted me to do. Yes, that. Take away the thing most precious to you; something that you take advantage off in others." Lelouch lifted up the sword, and in one fell swoop, brought it down on the Emperor.

Charles cried out in pain. The blinding light he created slowly faded into a sickening swirl of black and red. Charles brought his hands to his eyes, and let out a horrified scream. "How…how dare you?!" Charles's breathing became heavy and disgruntled, like that of a mad beast.

"This isn't over. Just because you took away my eyes, it doesn't mean I can't fight." Charles pulled out the last of his talismans. _'Of the three I had left, one was 'Slam' and the other 'Blind', which means the only left is –,' _"Burn!"

"Watch out!" C.C. shouted, once again fast in reacting. It was a matter of course, since it was her magic. She glided up to Suzaku and Lelouch and created a protective green bubble around them, which acted as a shield and protected them from the fire.

"C.C…." The Emperor breathed. "Why did you betray me?"

"Don't be a fool." C.C. gave an amused laugh. "I was never on your side to begin with. You merely forced me to work for you, a work I didn't want to do. Something I resented with my entire being, but could do nothing about." C.C paused, regaining her composure before she got too emotional, and continued. "I could not lift the curse of being the guardian of the code, but in the end, I found someone willing to help free me from my chains of working for you. With you defeated, you no longer hold any power over me. After Lelouch used up all the power of Code Zero, I was able to take the code back. I intend to keep it this time." C.C. held out an open palm. On top of it floated the Geass sigil. She closed her hand into a fist, making the sigil disappear. "The age of using the Code to wage wars is now over."

"Im…impossible!"

"Sorry but it's true Grandpa." Suzaku said, coming up on the Emperor from behind. He took Charles bloody hands and forced him to hold it behind his back, locking it in place. Charles tried to resist, but there was no energy left in his body. An old man can only fight for so long, after all. "What should I do with him, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked.

"Let's see…" Lelouch started but a squad of Tohdoh's when interrupted him when they came running into the throne room. They surrounded the Emperor and Suzaku. One of them came up and handcuffed the fallen ruler, preventing him from doing any further damage.

"Kaname Ohgi reporting, sir. We have dealt with all the Castle's guards as requested." The man named Ohgi said as he saluted.

"You men did very well. You have my thanks."

"Not at all, sir. Is there anything more we can do for you? General Tohdoh ordered us to aid you where necessary."

"Yes, well, what is the status on the Royals in the arena?"

"They have all been subdued and arrested. General Tohdoh suggested we exile them. We are only waiting for the 'okay' from you, sir."

Charles gave a soft but hard laugh. "Whatever you plan to do, it will fail. If anything happens to the adored Royals, there will be a riot even the likes of you won't be able to contain."

"I wouldn't be so sure." C.C. smirked.

"What do you mean?" Charles asked. He always felt unsettled when C.C. was happy about something.

"Don't listen to the old man, sir. The entire country is rejoicing and calling your name."

"What?" Everyone grew silent as they listened. In the distance, cheering could be heard. Lelouch focused more on the words they were chanting, and soon it became clearer and louder.

"…hail Prince Lelouch! All hail Prince Lelouch! All hail Prince…"

"Have they all gone mad?!" Charles shouted. "Why are they cheering for the usurper's victory?"

"Well you see, that's because," C.C. walked up to Charles and stood next to Lelouch. "By using the precious magic communication magic you are so fond of, I was able to project all the conversations you had to the people in the stadium. Every confession, every truth; they heard all of it. The country realized who was right and who was wrong. Now, they are calling for Lelouch, who they feel is the righteous and just hero."

"You wench!" Charles tried but struggled in vain against the handcuffs. "You had this planned all along, didn't you? You had me reveal the truth on purpose. What evil magic did you use?"

"No more evil magic than what you used to run your big mouth. You dug your own grave, old man." C.C. said, so cold it felt as if a blizzard passed through the room, freezing everyone.

"You fiend!" Charles spat.

"Oh my, don't call me something so vulgar. I am simply a witch who plays with the hearts of men."

That silenced the old man. He hung his head, vexed.

"How conniving, I should have expected this from you."

"Is that a thank you I hear?" C.C. teased, earning a smile from Lelouch.

"That's right. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart." Lelouch looked C.C. in the eyes. "So, thank you for helping me. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart."

A slight blush crawled onto C.C.'s face, but she quickly shook it away. The charmer could not be charmed herself. "You are welcome." C.C. looked around her and saw that all Tohdoh's men were standing there and staring at them as if they were a very amusing show. C.C. turned her back to them and faced Lelouch once more. "More seriously, I agree with Tohdoh. I think we should exile the Royals. I will create a barrier around Avalon, preventing them from ever setting foot on this continent again."

"I agree with the exile," Lelouch nodded, "but is the barrier really necessary? Aren't you going to stay here?"

C.C. expression grew soft. "No. Now that Geass is no longer needed, I might go rest. Indulge myself into a deep slumber."

"That sounds lovely. How convenient it must be to be an immortal witch."

"Yeah…'convenient', right?" C.C. said softly.

"Well, moving on. Listen up men! Gather up all the Royals in one place, and tell the audience that the show is over. They may leave." Lelouch said, turning to leave.

"Oi wait!" Tamaki said, strolling into the room. "We can't have you leave just yet! Everyone is waiting for a word from their new ruler!"

"Wait a minute. I have not assumed the role of the new ruler yet."

"What are you saying? Going through all this trouble, it's the least ya could do! The country needs you, man."

"Won't you slow down for a bit…"

"Plus," Tamaki threw his arm around Lelouch's shoulder. "We have to celebrate this victory! Ne, what do you say to a few good woman and some delicious sake?"

Lelouch was starting to get annoyed. C.C. wondered why that was.

'_Lelouch was after all the 'Black Prince who plays with the hearts of women', right?'_ C.C. wondered to herself. Lelouch was pushing Tamaki away now, and told him to sit. He obeyed surprisingly, like a dog.

'_Wait, 'a dog'?'_ C.C. looked over at Suzaku. He looked peeved for having been forgotten most of the scene. Or was it really that? By the resentful and begrudging look in his green eyes, he must be…_'ah, so that's it; your little secret.' _C.C. smiled. _'So that's why you're so reluctant, Lelouch? You're so sly. Should I rather say you play with the hearts of women _and _men?'_ C.C. had a proud sway in her step as she walked away, pleased with her new discovery and satisfied with the battle's outcome.

_To Be Continued._

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed!

A special shout out thank you for my reviewers: **NessatheSinner, D****eidara4Ever, ****A Random Person, ****InsanePurpleLove**

and a normal shout out thank youfor **everyone** who read/ favorited/ followed. It means a lot to know that people are reading my story. ^.^


	14. The Last Strings Are Tied

**Disclaimer:** I do not, have not and never will own Code Geass T.T

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Last Strings are tied

Soft moonlight filtered through the gently swaying curtains, illuminating Lelouch's room. A heavy silence filled the room after Lelouch quoted what the Emperor said in regard to Clovis's murder.

"I see." Was all Euphemia could say in response to Lelouch's revelation, and it made him worried.

"So it was our father who killed Clovis, not me."

"I understand." Euphemia repeated once more, but it didn't soothe Lelouch's uneasiness.

"I hope you can find it in your heart to accept this truth someday, and-"

"Lelouch," Euphemia interrupted her brother, silencing him with her firm tone. She turned to him, and said "I never believed that you were the killer in the first place. So hearing that you are not, makes me really happy and relieved."

"But how?" Lelouch questioned. "How could you have not suspected me of his murder even once?"

Euphemia stopped what she was doing, and answered softly. "I know you, Lelouch. I feel like I understand your heart. Every day I saw how close you and Clovis were. You would play Chess and Mastermind for hours on end. Clovis would always get so upset when he lost, and you could be incredibly smug at times. I never felt any malicious intent from you, Lelouch. Even after your mother died, you wouldn't just kill Clovis because it would benefit you. That was this feeling I had; the feeling of not wanting to believe our father's words with everything I have. I always hoped that some form of the truth would one day come to light, which makes today a very joyful day." She smiled at Lelouch, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"The amount of faith you have in me is astounding, Euphemia. You are truly a kind person." Lelouch said, grateful that he had such a forgiving sister.

Euphemia turned towards Lelouch and flicked his nose.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Lelouch asked, snapping out of his gloominess. He rubbed his nose.

"Regardless if I'm a 'kind person', I had faith in the fact that my brother was too adorable to be a murderer, so I avoided any thoughts that insisted otherwise." Euphemia pouted at Lelouch, as if what he said hit a sore spot. Then, as if remembering something important she had to say, the pink-haired princess spoke up once more. "But don't think I'll forgive for anything and everything, so don't get any dodgy ideas now."

Lelouch was taken aback, but seeing the playful smile on Euphemia's face, also smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it. I'm much too scared of a vengeful Euphy to even step on your toes."

"That's mean!" Euphemia gasped then started giggling. "He wouldn't say anything like that to you, would he Nunnally?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Nunnally was sitting in front of the mirror table, holding the comb Euphemia had been using to brush her hair. Euphemia had stopped in the midst of her conversation with Lelouch, so Nunnally took over, contently listening to her big brother and sister's banter.

"Eh don't tell me you didn't notice?!" Euphemia asked in disbelief.

"Notice what?" Nunnally asked, tilting her head.

Euphemia sighed. Both brother and sister can be so blind to some things sometimes. "The way Lelouch valiantly fought for your sake, doing everything in his power to save you. He's an incredibly doting brother, who would never say anything mean to his little sister."

"Oh yes. Big brother always was like a paranoid mother hen." Nunnally agreed with a laugh.

Euphemia joined in. "That's right, that's right." She took the brush from Nunnally and started combing the younger girl's hair again. "He especially fawned on you when returned returned to the arena after defeating the Emperor." Euphemia started to recount the events from earlier that day.

_~Earlier at the arena~_

Lelouch finally decided to return to the arena. Tamaki was ecstatic because he thought that his persistent pestering had finally gotten through to the thick-headed prince. Lelouch on the other hand, only wanted to return to the arena because Nunnally was still there and he wanted to see his little sister again. He wanted to hold her in his arms and make sure she's okay.

Once Lelouch returned to the arena, zealous cheers erupted. Everyone praised Lelouch as their saviour from what could have been a war-torn future caused by the dragons. They all expected Lelouch to declare that he will be taking back the throne, but instead Lelouch almost entirely ignored them and went to check on Nunnally instead.

Lelouch approached the gallery and immediately went to where he last saw Nunnally. She wasn't there. Frantically looking around, Lelouch looked for his little sister. He would never forgive himself if he lost Nunnally after finally getting her back.

"Lelouch" a feminine voice called him from behind.

Lelouch spun around, and saw an orange-haired girl standing before him. _'I'm sure Shirley was her name'_ Lelouch recalled.

"Yes?"

"Um…" Shirley blushed slightly under Lelouch's scrutinizing gaze. "If you are looking for Nunnally, Rivalz and I have been guarding her and Princess Euphemia ever since a girl named C.C. brought them to us."

"C.C.?" Lelouch repeated. He smiled slightly to himself. "Just when I thought we were even, that girl does something that puts me in her debt."

"Lelouch?"

"It's nothing." Lelouch said. "Where are they now?"

"Rivalz are guarding them in the arena's infirmary."

"Infirmary? The arena has such a thing?"

"Well it's more like a room to treat wounded gladiators."

"I understand. Can you please take me there?"

"Of course," _'that's why I came here; after all',_ Shirley wanted to add but decided against it. She didn't want to seem cheeky. "It's this way." Shirley said and Lelouch followed.

Soon they came to a closed door. Shirley opened it, revealing a room filled with several hard, uncomfortable-looking beds and tools that looked more like weapons than delicate medical utensils. Two of the beds were occupied; one by Nunnally and the other by Euphemia.

First stopping at Euphy's bed and making sure she's okay, Lelouch moved on to Nunnally's bed. Nunnally's eyes were closed and her chest was moving up and down at a steady pace, showing that Nunnally's asleep.

Lelouch sat next on the chair next to Nunnally's bed. He took his sister's hand in both of his and brought it closer to his chest.

"Wake up, Nunnally." Lelouch said, softly squeezing her hands.

Nunnally tightened her eyes before slowly opening them. After blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she looked at the one holding her hands.

"Big…brother?" she asked. Lelouch brightened up and held Nunnally's open palm to his chest, making it so that she could feel his heartbeat. It was something they always did while they were still living in that dark castle. It was a little ritual to ascertain each other's presences.

"I'm here Nunnally."

"Yes, I can finally see you."

"What?" Lelouch looked at his sister, and saw she gazed at him with her ever gentle and loving eyes. "How?"

"It's all thanks to you. After you took the Code away from me, I didn't have to fear anyone looking into my eyes, and I could finally see again."

Lelouch should have been happy, and he was, but he was greatly saddened as well. He bowed his head before Nunnally.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I allowed you to be captured and I'm sorry you had to endure all that suffering."

"It's okay." Nunnally softly patted Lelouch's head. "In the end it was you who saved me, right?"

"I promised I would. And I always will. If you're ever in any trouble I'll rush to your side immediately." Lelouch held his arms open for Nunnally, and she gladly leaned over into her brother's chest. He enveloped her in his arms, holding her close.

"Yes, and I'm grateful for it. More than I can express with mere 'thank you's'. But since that's the only thing I can say now, I will. Thank you very much, big brother Lelouch."

"You don't have to say anything. And it wasn't just me. I've met many wonderful people who all helped in saving you."

Nunnally gave a wonderful smile, one filled with appreciation. "I'm grateful to them all as well." A small tear slid down her face. Lelouch caught it with his finger.

"Don't cry now."

"It's just that I'm so happy! And so, so relieved that you're okay, big brother." the sound of loud cheering drifted in through the window. "Oh listen to that." Nunnally laughed. "Your fans are all calling for you. I don't think you should keep them waiting any longer."

"They can wait. You are more important to me."

Nunnally pushed her brother away, and he loosened his arms. Looking up at Lelouch, Nunnally cupped her brother's cheeks in her hands. She peered at him with her violet eyes, unnerving Lelouch. Once Nunnally was satisfied, she tilted her head with a smile. "See? I'm okay now. Please go and see your many followers. We will have a lot of time to talk later."

Not able to resist his little sister's earnest request, Lelouch reluctantly detached himself from Nunnally.

"Wait here, I'll be back soon."

"Yes, have a safe trip." Nunnally waved and Lelouch left the room.

Lelouch returned to the arena, and loud cheers erupted as he took centre stage. It was the exact opposite of the spectrum from the jeers that Lelouch received earlier that day. _'People sure do change their tone quickly.'_

"My people!" Lelouch began. He made it official that he will be overseeing the ruling of the country from that moment forward, and promised to create a future free from the threat of dragons' rule and where no one will be harmed by the Geass Code. Lelouch hoped that it would stop there, but it was decided that a ball would be held in his honour that night, celebrating the joyous occasion.

* * *

_~Later that evening~_

"True story, bro," Sugiyama, who was standing in a circle with the rest of the Rebel group, insisted.

"Now way, that's a lie." Ohgi and the others, except one laughed. Tamaki was looking around, as if searching for something. He seemed uneasy. "Did you lose something, Tamaki?"

"Ha?" was Tamaki's brisk reply.

"If it's Lelouch, he's still preparing in his room. He'll be here soon."

"No, I'm not searching for him."

"Then who, or what, are you looking for?" Ohgi asked once again.

"Well, just making sure that no royals managed to escape our net. I want to make sure that all those pampered bast*rds are outside the country at dawn."

"We already double-checked. They should already be over the Avalon's ocean border. Prince Lelouch's trusted accomplice Kaguya is making sure of that they are sent far away."

"Still, I can't help feeling something's off…"

"That's enough" came the deep voice of their commander Tohdoh. "This is a party. We will not discuss work here. Now, turn that frown upside down and just enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, you're probably just hungry. Go get yourself something to eat?" Minami, another rebel, laughed.

"No, I just…" seeing Tohdoh's intense glare, Tamaki smiled awkwardly. "Ah yeah, that's probably it. I'll go and help myself to something then." He said and walked away with stiff limbs.

"Robot?" Sugiyama asked.

"Yeah, definitely like a robot." Ohgi agreed, nodding his head.

* * *

In the meantime, Lelouch, Nunnally and Euphemia arrived. While Euphemia and Nunnally were helping themselves to the quaint little pastries, Lelouch was conversing with some members of the Lower House of the House of Nobles, a body of aristocrats who had some sway in the ruling of the country.

"And Princess Euphemia?" Sir Hemsley asked.

"Yes, she is pardoned on the grounds of using her powers to heal me during the battle. She is our ally, thus she has been granted permission to stay."

"But she could easily turn on you. Are you sure this is wise, your highness?"

"Euphemia will not betray me, and if she does, I will handle it personally. The Senate is not to interfere in family matters." Lelouch said calmly.

"But if it's a crime against the country then – "

"LELOUCH!" a loud voice boomed through the hall, and all merrymaking paused. Everyone looked at the woman who had just entered the ballroom. She had short maroon hair and was wearing a frilly red gold-sequenced dress. She stomped up to the returned Prince as if she was an angry wife.

"Look at what you did!" She exclaimed, her face millimetres from Lelouch's. Her anger oozed off of her, scaring off all the aristocrats that were gathered around the prince.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lelouch deadpanned. The woman was shocked into silence before looking down.

"You..." Her shoulders began to tremble with rage. "Yes, that's right. You wouldn't know me. Since you only saw me as that." She mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?"

The woman looked back up at Lelouch, fury blazing in her icy-blue eyes. "It's me! Remember the dragon whose gem you took? That's right, I'm Kallen!"

Lelouch was taken aback. He couldn't believe it. "But you are a…"

"You think I haven't noticed?!" she snapped. "I came all this way because I wanted revenge for stealing my gem. But here I am, a human!" her face was red with anger. If he didn't feel so threatened, he would think that she was actually pretty cute.

"Wait, please calm down, Kallen-san" Shirley, who had entered the room after Kallen, tried to calm the dragon-turned-human, but Shirley's plea merely went in the one ear and out the other.

Rivalz, who was also present when Kallen underwent the dubious transformation, simply stood in the background, sipping his punch and enjoying the drama.

"You are no longer a dragon, there's no way you can take Lelouch out now." Shirley tried to reason.

"It doesn't matter if I'm not a dragon anymore." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "There are other methods humans use to get their revenge, right? I intend to use one of those methods right now!" Kallen pulled out a little pouch and revealed a concealed blade. "Prepare to meet your maker!"

Suzaku, who was keeping an eye on Nunnally and Euphemia as Lelouch ordered, saw what was going on, but it was too late. Lelouch stepped back, prepared to defend himself.

"Le-"Suzaku wanted to shout, but a blob of green flashed past him. In the blink of an eye, C.C. was next to Lelouch's side. She had caught Kallen's wrist before it could cut Lelouch's.

"Please do not say such cliché lines while trying to act like a badass killer." C.C. deadpanned.

"Wha..? Who the hell are you? I'll cut you up too; you and your damn long hair." Kallen freed her wrist from C.C.'s grip and pointed the blade at the green-haired witch.

"I wouldn't recommend that." C.C. said. It would take more than a cute little blade to threaten her. "Not if you want to find out the reason why you suddenly transformed into a human."

Those words seemed to calm to former dragon down. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"It actually started many years ago." C.C. began. "Marianne, a previous Code Bearer, died when the Britannia clan drew too much power from her in preparation for invading a neighbouring country. The code was then transferred to Nunnally, and a large amount of power was drawn from her as well. When the Code of Divinity is used, a magic residue is left behind. This magic residue is infectious, and it turns whoever's blood is highly compatible with the Code into a dragon. Only, unlike the Britannia clan who are hybrids and can switch between forms at will, you stayed as a dragon." C.C. paused, giving Kallen time to digest what she just said.

"Wait, then that would mean that I…"

"That's right." Kallen's eyes widened. "You were originally a human."

"That's impossible!" Kallen exclaimed. "I have no memories of ever being a human!"

"That's because of the side-affect. It's not just you. Most of the dragons in Cornelia's platoon of dragons were originally knights, and was also recently turned back."

"But then, why am I suddenly a human again?"

"Because when I sealed the Code of Divinity in myself again, any and all magic residue left on this land and the next vanished, thus reversing the side-effect spell."

Kallen was still trying to wrap her head around everything C.C. said, but it was difficult. The crowd of curious onlookers that had gathered could almost see the steam coming out of Kallen's ears. She still had so many questions.

"When exactly did this happen? What about my family, if I even had one? Will the memories of my life before I transformed ever return to me? What about the Guren gemstone? Did it play some role in this as well? Is Kallen even my real name? Who am I?! Please tell me!"

C.C. sweat dropped. _'So many bothersome questions' _she thought as she futilely tried to explain everything. As she went along, C.C. got a headache that wasn't afraid of anything.

* * *

While Kallen was distracted, Lelouch slipped away. Thanks to C.C., she had completely forgotten the original reason why she came to Lelouch. Walking out onto the balcony, a gentle breeze swayed Lelouch's hair. He came to a stop at the end of the balcony, and inhaled the cool night air.

He closed his eyes and listened to the muffled chattering of the joyous guest. Avalon would sign peace treaties with neighbouring countries, and finally enter an era of peace. It was something to celebrate, and Lelouch was grateful that everything was falling into place. However, there was still one more issue that Lelouch had to address.

The door creaked open, and the joyous chattering of the guests became loud and clear before fading again once the door closed. There was silence. The person probably didn't want Lelouch to know that he was there, but the person's nervousness and anxiety was giving him away.

"I knew you would come." Lelouch said, knowing that if he waited for the other party to speak first, they would be here until dawn.

"Of course" he said. "You normally attend a party you've been invited to, especially if the new king invited you."

"That's not what I meant." Lelouch said as he turned around, facing the other party. Suzaku stood before him, fiddling with the cuffs of his white jacket. "I knew you would come save me when I was in trouble. Even after all I did to you. It is presumptuous of me, isn't it? I'm sorry for what happened in the past."

"Well," Suzaku began, slightly embarrassed. "I really didn't want to come back, and I wouldn't have if it wasn't for Shirley and Rivalz pulling me out of my hole. I realised that staying depressed and mad at you wouldn't help anyone. There was also my conscience as a knight bothering me. I swore to protect you until you fulfilled your mission, so I couldn't back out early."

"Thank you," Lelouch said softly, "thank you for coming back. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure you could find it in your heart to return, but I'm glad you did. Thank you, Suzaku, for being my Knight."

The sweetness of Lelouch's voice was like he was fondling an uneasy child, and it made Suzaku blush with embarrassment.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I told you, didn't I? I was just fulfilling my duty as a knight and-" Lelouch held up his hand to silence Suzaku.

"Even so, I would like to thank you. When you became my knight, you said that you wanted Nunnally's hand in marriage in return. I will gladly give Nunnally to you, Suzaku, if that is still what your heart desires."

"I…" It felt as if something was squeezing Suzaku's heart. Sure he was fond of Lelouch's little sister, but he haven't thought of her as a romantic interest in a long time. So to hear Lelouch offer her to him made him sad. _'No,'_ he thought. _'That's not what I want.' _"No." Suzaku said aloud, surprising both himself and Suzaku. "Um, I mean…" Suzaku looked around, as if the words he was searching for would be lying around somewhere. What was it he wanted to say again?

"You don't want Nunnally?" Lelouch wanted to confirm.

"No, well, it's just, I'm fond of her, but that's not so important to me anymore." Suzaku admitted shyly.

"Then," Lelouch said, oddly relieved, "what is it that you desire? If it is within my power to give you, I will gladly do so, as a token of my gratitude."

Suzaku stayed silent, trying to think of something.

Someone cleared their throat and Lelouch and Suzaku looked at the party who had just made their presence known.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. Lelouch, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"I'm in the middle of a conversation right now. Can't this wait?" he asked, slightly annoyed at having been interrupted.

"No, it cannot. It won't take long."

Lelouch looked at Suzaku, and disappointment was evident on Suzaku's face. "I apologize for cutting out conversation short, Suzaku. We'll continue it later." Lelouch signalled Suzaku to lend him his ear, and Suzaku, confused, brought his head closer to Lelouch's. Lelouch moved in close and cupped his hand around Suzaku's ear. "We'll meet up at…" Lelouch whispered the location, and Suzaku blushed furiously.

"But that's..!"

"Don't worry, it will be okay."

"R-right" Suzaku stuttered before thanking Lelouch for his time and bowing out, leaving him and C.C. alone.

* * *

Once Suzaku disappeared into the crowd in the dance hall, Lelouch looked at C.C.

"You have impeccable timing as always." Lelouch's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"How scary!" C.C. laughed. "But you know, you shouldn't tease him like that."

"I am doing nothing of the sort." Lelouch denied huffily.

"Whatever you say." C.C. humoured the new king.

"By the way, your talk with Kallen sure finished quickly." Lelouch lifted his eyebrow in question as he leaned on the railing of the balcony.

"More importantly, your talk with Kallen finished sooner than I expected."

"Yes well, I was on my way to give you something when I saw her attacking you. That's when I tried explaining and she started bombarding me with questions."

"I wanted to thank you for that. You presented me with the perfect opportunity to slip away." C.C. sent an annoyed glared Lelouch's way, and he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Anyway, I got tired of all her questions, so I lend the book I wanted to give to you to her on the condition that she will return in to you once she finished. Searching for the answers to all her question in that book will keep her occupied for quite some time."

"You want to give me a book?"

"That's right; the Book of Geass. It contains information about the history and powers of Geass. If studied properly, it will help in the preservation of this Kingdom and the next."

"I didn't know such a book existed, and I am familiar with all the books in the Royal Library"

"That's because I've always had the book with me. A few others of my kind also have a copy of this book, but this book contains a few chapters written by yours truly. Facts based of experience that will surely be of use to you."

"There is more of your kind?"

"That's right, so step lightly. That book will teach you how to handle them."

"I do not have a problem with self-study, but is it not something you can teach me yourself?"

"You really think that a lazy witch like me will go through all the effort of teaching a brat like you basics?" C.C. raised her eyebrow at Lelouch and closed her one eye. "Besides, that book is meant to be my substitute."

"Your substitute?"

"Yes. That is the other thing I wanted to talk to you about." C.C. walked up to Lelouch and stood next to him at the edge of the balcony, looking over the moonlit castle gardens. "It's been fun spending so many years at the Britannia Clan's castle, overseeing the running of the Code. But now that the clan no longer has the Code in their possession, I feel it's time for me to leave as well."

Lelouch listened silently. C.C.'s voice was sombre as she spoke. "Where will you go?"

"I'm thinking of going on another journey. For the past indefinite amount of years I have only observed the state of the world from afar, but now I want to inspect it for myself."

"I see, it's a pity you can't stay. The castle will feel empty without your presence."

"Oh stop," C.C. laughed, "It will be like an expensive portrait suddenly goes missing and no one will notice the extra blank space on the wall."

"_I_ will notice." Lelouch turned to C.C. "C.C." he said, and she glanced at him. "I wanted to thank you before you leave. Thank you for helping save my sister and defeating that abomination that was on the throne. Without you, none of this peace would have been possible, and I am grateful beyond words. Do not forget that."

"Yes, Your Highness. The same goes to you. It's because of you that I am now able to freely move around again. You don't know how much I appreciate this chance to spread my wings and fly once again."

"So we're even?" Lelouch laughed. "Enjoy your freedom, and hopefully we will meet again someday."

"Most probably, I don't believe our roads won't be separated for long." C.C. gave Lelouch a rare, genuine smile. "But in the meantime, to prevent the kingdom from completely falling apart in my absence, I generated a protective barrier around the Avalon that will keep all exiles and enemies out."

"As expected of you, your help is invaluable to us."

"Of course. I helped you become king, Lelouch, but what you do now is up to you. Don't mess this up."

"I won't. You can leave it me. When you return, Avalon will flourish with unprecedented peace and prosperity, and you will have no regrets."

"_If_ I return. Don't get ahead of yourself, _King_."

"You will return. You said yourself our paths will cross again someday."

"_Most probably_" C.C. reminded Lelouch.

"Still, _'farewell' _is not a fitting greeting for this situation, but rather '_until we see each other again.'_"

"Hmph. _'Until we see each other again'_, it is then." C.C. smiled, and with a wave, leaped off the balcony and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Suzaku vigilantly walked through the castle gardens. _'I can't believe Lelouch asked to meet me there' _Suzaku thought as he approached the feared location. _'How is he not embarrassed? I mean, sure no one in their right minds would come here so it's the perfect place to be alone. But still…'_ Suzaku came to a halt.

The stone path decorated by little lights ended a few steps from where Suzaku stopped. He looked up at the meeting place. The floor to ceiling glass windows reflected the moonlight, slightly concealing the many beautiful and exotic plants resting inside. It was the Royal Garden House. It was a tradition of the royal family for the King to propose to his future bride here.

'_But that's impossible, right? Lelouch couldn't possibly think of proposing to me here? Of course not, Suzaku you silly.'_ Suzaku clobbered his head _'After all, the King would bring his bride here. The custom said nothing about grooms. Wait!'_ Suzaku raked his hands through his hair _'I am not seriously thinking about this, am I? It's ridiculous! But why then,'_ Suzaku wondered, _'is my heart beating so fast?'_ Suzaku inhaled, counted to ten and exhaled, trying to calm down his beating heart.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Suzaku" his name rolled off of the person's tongue as if it was melted gold. Suzaku jumped. His heart was not prepared for this. Especially not when his name was said like that.

"Hai?" Suzaku responded stiffly, not turning around. It was silent for a moment, and Suzaku knew that Lelouch was pondering his odd response.

"Thank you for meeting me here." Lelouch thanked.

"It's no trouble at all." Suzaku said, trying his best to try calm.

"I'm happy." Lelouch smiled."Why won't you look at me?" he asked after a moment of no response from Suzaku.

"I'm…just admiring the lovely Garden House." Suzaku lied.

"It is beautiful" Lelouch said, walking up to Suzaku's side.

"Yes…but it's strange. Why would you want to meet here?"

"Strange? I thought it would be a place where no one would interrupt us."

'_I thought so'_ Suzaku thought with a sigh.

"Why? Oh wait," Lelouch smiled slightly, "you weren't afraid of _that_, were you?"

"Eh? I have no idea what you're talking about" Suzaku stuttered.

"I think you do. This house is a famous proposal spot for Kings. Were you afraid I would propose to you?"

"What?! No!" Suzaku looked at Lelouch, and regretted the move instantly. Lelouch would see Suzaku's red face and be totally put off. Suzaku instantly looked away again and covered his face in his hands. _'Why'd Lelouch have to see my face looking like this?' _Suzaku glanced with teary eyes through his fingers.

"If that is what you wish, I will propose to you."

For a moment it was as if all the night was shocked into silence. Neither a cricket nor a nightingale could be heard.

"What are you saying?" Suzaku's hands dropped to his side. 'Don't – don't joke around with me!" Suzaku snapped.

"I'm serious. I told you that I would repay you for your Knighthood, didn't I? And if it is within my power to give, I will give it to you." Lelouch replied calmly, but Suzaku's anger only grew.

With shaking fists, he grabbed Lelouch's wrist and dragged him into the Garden house. In the middle there was a white table with two garden trees. Suzaku threw Lelouch into one of the chairs.

"It wouldn't matter," he placed both his hands on the chair's armrests, blocking Lelouch in. "Even if I asked for that, it wouldn't matter if you didn't feel the same way! Only taking in consideration my feelings, what about your feelings? I don't want to be in a one-sided love relationship. I want the feeling to be mutual."

"Then what is that you desire? I'm sure you have a lot of time to think about it." Lelouch said, his violet eyes glued to Suzaku, making him feel embarrassed.

Suzaku had been thinking about it, but no matter what he tries to think of, the only thing he could think of was _'you. I want you, Lelouch.' _But Suzaku couldn't admit that. He knew his feelings were possibly only momentary, and he didn't want to base a relationship on fleeting passion. His feelings for Lelouch might be unrequited after all, and Suzaku didn't want to be rejected. But, Suzaku didn't want to be separated from Lelouch either, so the only thing left is…

"I want to stay by your side." Suzaku said softly. Lelouch's eyes widened as Suzaku dropped to his one knee. Lelouch's heart tightened. "Please allow me to continue being your knight."

A soft smile graced Lelouch's lips. "Is this your final wish? Is their nothing else you desire?"

"Only to stay by your side as long as possible."

'_Oh gosh'_ Suzaku thought. He stepped back from Lelouch. He prayed to any god that would listen to please not let Lelouch make _that _face at him, but it was too late. Lelouch grabbed Suzaku's wrist as he retreated and pulled Suzaku in.

Lelouch captured Suzaku's lips with his own. Suzaku's breath hitched in surprise. He wanted to pull away, but melted at the feel of Lelouch's soft lips on his own. Suzaku involuntarily closed his eyes and indulged in the feeling of Lelouch's close presence. It felt both pleasurable and sinful at the same time. It was bittersweet. All of the heaped up feelings of the past few days were overflowing. Suzaku gasped when Lelouch weaved his fingers into his hair.

Lelouch used the opportunity to deepen their kiss, but it was too much for Suzaku. He tapped his hand on Lelouch's chest, hoping that he would get the message. Lelouch's lip lingered on Suzaku's a bit longer before he released Suzaku. Both their faces were flushed, but Suzaku's face would even make a tomato blush.

"Lelouch…" Suzaku breathed, confusion etched on his face.

"Let me tell you something," Lelouch shushed Suzaku. "You are mistaken about one thing, Suzaku. Your feelings are not one-sided."

'_I know. After that kiss I'd be a fool to think otherwise'_ Suzaku thought but didn't say anything.

"When I revealed that I was the one behind the destruction of your village, I expected you to abandon me. I would have been happy, since you wouldn't be in harm's way anymore. But when I came to in the fighting arena and saw you next to me, I was incredibly happy. In that moment I felt something deeper than affection or infatuation. It was a deep appreciation and admiration, and the feeling that I wanted to immortalise the sight of you next to me by keeping you by my side always. That's why nothing would please me more than keeping you by my side."

Lelouch held Suzaku's hands in his own, and peered into his eyes. "So, let me ask you one more time. Is staying by my side what you truly desire?"

Suzaku smiled affectionately as he dropped to his one knee. "Yes, that is my one and only desire."

"Then I grant you your wish." Lelouch let go of one of Suzaku's hands. "Suzaku," Lelouch started, "Do you swear that from henceforth you shall always stay by my side, that you shall be my shield and my sword, that you shall never lie to me nor betray me, and that you shall always be loyal to me?"

"I swear, my King." Suzaku bowed his head.

"I hereby dub thee Sir Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Zero" Lelouch swept his fingers over both of Suzaku's shoulders. Many little fireflies took flight from the ground and slowly floated through around the two, illuminating the ceremony along with the moonlight.

Lelouch and Suzaku stayed in their positions a little longer, before Lelouch let go of Suzaku's right hand. Suzaku stood up, and fell backwards into the chair behind him.

Suzaku began to laugh from the bottom of his heart. It was a catharsis, a purging of all the tense feelings that built over during their informal promise. Suzaku's laugh was infectious, and soon Lelouch joined in, filling the night air with a harmonious melody of bliss.

"I never imagined in my wildest dreams that when I entered that dark castle that things would turn out like this."

"You wanted to become engaged with the captured princess, but instead you fell for the dragon."

"And whose fault is that?!" Suzaku argued.

"Well, I unexpectedly fell as well, so you are not alone." Lelouch laughed, embarrassed.

Suzaku didn't say anything, he just looked away.

"Hey, Suzaku~" Suzaku glanced at the smirking Lelouch "How about I bring you back here someday to formally propose to you?"

"Wha…?!" Suzaku jumped up from his chair "I can't even begin to list all the problems with that!"

"I know you're a bit shy and nervous now, but I'll wait for you" Lelouch smiled sweetly at Suzaku.

"Who's going to wait for who?" Suzaku mumbled, cursing the butterflies in his stomach.

"Excuse me?" Lelouch tilted his head in question.

"Nothing!" Suzaku turned away from Lelouch "By the way, don't you think it's time for us to return? The guest of honour shouldn't stay away too long."

"Hmm rather than attending the party I would like to spend some quality time with you, doing this and that, you know?"

"No thank you!" Suzaku almost shouted as he stiffly walked away from Lelouch. He tried to banish the erotic thoughts in his head, but it was no use.

As soon as Suzaku was out Lelouch's sight, Lelouch let out a big sigh of relief. He was glad that Suzaku didn't look back at him, since he didn't want his Knight to see the expression on his face. Lelouch supported his head with his hand. He was impressed with the amount of self control he managed to showcase.

'_Suzaku is right to be embarrassed. Imagine how it feels for me, the one saying it?'_ Lelouch was so hot, steam raised from his ears. _'But no matter how embarrassing it is, it is the truth. Suzaku needed to hear it. I believe that once we've kindled our flame of passion into a bright, burning fire, our promise to stay together for eternity will be realized. I'm looking forward to that day, my adorable Love.'_

_THE END...?_

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you very much for reading all the way up to here! I hope it was an enjoyable ride.

A very special thank you shout out to the reviewers of chapter 13: **crazy anko**, **Deidara4ever** &amp; **NessatheSinner, **

and to the reviewers of chapter 14: **Diedara4Ever, NessaTheSinner, TheFlyingNeko, My-Little-Poison-Secret and skepsis66**.

And also a special thank you shout out to **all** those who read, favorite and followed this story. I appreciate it always. But then again, what writer doesn't?

_Thank you very much! Until we see each other again xD_


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